Bowdeya Tweh

btweh@enquirer.com

Suspended juvenile court Judge Tracie Hunter will not have to report to jail Monday.

On Friday, the Ohio Supreme Court issued a stay of Hunter's six-month jail sentence, pending her conviction appeal. She will not have to post additional bond while she's free.

Hunter attorney David Singleton said the supreme court's decision was welcome news.

"It would have made no sense for Judge Hunter to start a sentence when she is not a flight risk," Singleton said.

He also was confident about his team's chances in the court of appeals.

"We think she's got a very strong chance to win on appeal."

Singleton filed an emergency request asking the court to postpone or suspend her jail sentence. A Hamilton County judge and the First District Court of Appeals already denied the request.

Earlier this month, Hunter was sentenced to spend six months in jail after being convicted of having an unlawful interest in a public contract.

Singleton said the Ohio Supreme Court's decision sets the appeals process in motion. He said the conviction appeal could take one year to be complete and legal briefs could be due in the spring.

Three jurors have recanted their guilty verdict since the trial, which Hunter supporters have used as fuel to question the process used to convict her.

Special prosecutor R. Scott Croswell III could not be reached Friday night for comment about the decision.

Just before the early December sentencing hearing, Croswell and fellow Special Prosecutor Merlyn Shiverdecker wrote to Judge Norbert Nadel that "If Tracie Hunter does not receive sufficient punishment, it will only confirm to the community what Tracie Hunter believes; she is above the law and for whatever reason, is allowed to play by a different set of rules than the rest of us."

MORE ON HUNTER CASE:Here's the background on why Hunter is facing jail time

In his motion to the Ohio Supreme Court, Singleton said Hunter should not have been denied bail without explanation. He also said she has "serious ongoing medical issues" and conditions at the Hamilton County Justice Center could exacerbate her condition.

Tiffany Carwile, an attorney with the Ohio Attorney General's office, said Hunter shows no proof the court abused its discretion in denying her request to avoid jail. Representing First District Presiding Judge Penelope Cunningham, Carwile said Hunter doesn't show the court has a clear legal duty to provide a rationale for denying bail.

Hunter, 48, was convicted in October of interfering with the firing of her brother, juvenile court worker Stephen Hunter, after he punched a teen inmate in the face. She was convicted for using her position as a judge to obtain documents regarding the medical and mental history of the teen inmate punched in the face by her brother. He later used those documents, which are supposed to be protected by privacy laws, to try to save his job.

The jury could not reach a unanimous verdict on eight other felony charges against her following a six-week trial. Prosecutors could retry her on those charges.

Enquirer Reporter Kimball Perry contributed to this report.