Judicial Divas, State Judges, State Judges Are Clowns

The High Cost Of Bringing A Judge To Justice

How much have taxpayers spent on the defense of this judge, and how many law firms has she burned through?

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Some critics have complained that the judicial disciplinary process is a joke. The vast majority of complaints against both federal and state judges get dismissed without any disciplinary action. (In fairness, many of these complaints, filed by disgruntled litigants, lack merit.)

If the judicial misconduct system is a joke, it’s not a very funny one for taxpayers. Here’s a report from the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

Cleveland taxpayers have paid $653,902 so far to defend Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes against allegations that she has abused court staff, lawyers and defendants and has strained court resources.

Though voters elect her, Stokes is considered a city employee and entitled to a taxpayer-funded defense. She’s been running up legal bills since the Ohio Supreme Court’s Disciplinary Counsel filed a complaint against her in 2013, which has triggered a trial before a special panel of the top court’s Board of Professional Conduct.

The basis of the complaint? As we’ve previously reported, Judge Stokes stands accused of an “inability to administer her docket in a timely manner, [a] lack of organization, and [an] unreasonable expectation that all court employees be at her beck and call.” She’s also allegedly abusive to lawyers and litigants who appear before her; Cleveland Scene, summarizing the claims made against her, called her “an a**hole with a gavel.”

Taxpayers can’t be stoked over the cost of the Stokes defense. What’s driving the expense?

Stokes has been free to hire and fire lawyers and law firms. She has used five separate attorneys or firms so far, according to city records.

The firm of Zukerman, Daiker & Lear, which is headed by Larry Zukerman and has led her defense during trial, has billed the city $363,790 through the end of May, city records show. Attorney Richard Alkire of Independence received $135,728. Stokes fired him earlier but she recently rehired him to work with Zukerman. The Columbus-based firm, James E. Arnold & Associates, received nearly $92,000. Northeast Ohio’ Buckingham, Doolittle & Burroughs received $50,444. Cleveland’s Weston Hurd firm was paid $12,050.

It takes a village… to defend a municipal-court judge accused of misconduct. What’s worse, appearing before Judge Stokes or representing her?

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But let’s end this story on an optimistic note. At least the Stokes trial hasn’t (yet) reached the $3 million price tag of pursuing Judge Lori Douglas over her nude photos.

Judge Angela Stokes’ defense against charges of misconduct has cost Cleveland taxpayers more than $650,000 [Cleveland Plain Dealer]

Earlier: The Tawdry Tale Of Justice Lori Douglas Comes To An End
Lawyers Of The Day: Additional Allegations Of Attorney (And Judicial) Misconduct

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