Angela Stokes

Cleveland Municipal Judge Angela Stokes is under fire for how she runs her courtroom. The Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel has recommended she undergo more scrutiny, including a psychiatric examine. On Friday, the municipal court's administrative judge barred her from hearing any more criminal cases for a while.

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Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes -- who's been under investigation for allegations that she abused court staff, lawyers and defendants -- will no longer hear criminal cases beginning Monday.

The municipal court's administrative judge, Ronald Adrine, made the decision Friday, according to court papers. The move follows continuing complaints about Stokes' behavior and a dramatic decision by the Cuyahoga County Public Defender's to seek a motion to transfer cases -- and its lawyers -- from her courtroom. The public defender's municipal division represents indigent clients charged with such things as petty theft, assault, DUI, domestic violence and driving under suspension.

Adrine will handle Stokes' current cases (visiting Judge Mabel Jasper will help with the case load next week). Future criminal cases that would have normally been assigned to Stokes will be divided among the court's 11 other judges who handle similar dockets. These cases will boost each judge's workload by about 8 percent.

Stokes will continue to be assigned civil cases, which include small claims, and she will continue to review civil cases handled by magistrates. Civil cases represent only a small fraction of a municipal court judge's docket.

In October, the Supreme Court of Ohio's Office of Disciplinary Counsel filed a lengthy complaint against Stokes. The 49-page complaint charges she abuses court resources, lawyers, court staff and defendants who appear before her. The complaint is based in part on 337 incident reports filed in municipal court against Stokes. The complaint recommends to the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline that Stokes be ordered to undergo a psychiatric examination because she may be "suffering from a mental illness that substantially impairs her ability to perform her duties as a judicial officer."

In December, Stokes denied virtually every charge against her in a response filed with the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline.

The complaint does not force Stokes to step down. It represents the first step in Supreme Court of Ohio's process of evaluating the judge for discipline.

But Adrine took action to stop her from hearing criminal cases because Stokes has continued to draw complaints in municipal court, according to his court order signed Friday. Since the Disciplinary Counsel presented its complaint, the municipal court has received an additional 100 incident reports against Stokes, the order says. Stokes is barred from hearing criminal cases until the Supreme Court of Ohio makes its decision.

The Plain Dealer has previously documented complaints about Stokes that mirror those detailed in the Disciplinary Counsel's complaint. The Plain Dealer, for instance, has shown that her courtroom moves too slowly, keeping defendants, lawyers, police and witnesses waiting, which costs the city money. She can't get along with court workers. More than 25 bailiffs have worked for her — so many that the court's administrative judge at one time banned her from hiring any more. She's also made unsubstantiated complaints about court workers. And, in the past, she ordered an excessive number of drug, alcohol and psychiatric tests for defendants.

Stokes has not reacted yet to the Friday's decision. But in a brief interview with the Northeast Ohio Media Group, she said she planned to issue a statement shortly.