Courts

Judge Resigns And Somehow It's NOT Over The Drunken Shooting At White Castle

See, maybe the first red flag should've been enough.

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gavel-3575414_640Back in 2019, three Indiana judges went drinking and congregated in a White Castle parking lot — as one does when the strip club is closed — and got into an altercation with some strangers that ended with two judges shot. The Director’s Cut of Harold and Kumar got dark, man.

One of the judges shot in the fight faced seven criminal counts and the two gunmen obviously faced some charges too since, you know, they’d shot a judge in the stomach and another in the chest while holding him down.

Honestly, the next time someone talks about how gun control laws don’t work in Chicago, remind them that this state is right next door.

Anyway, the one judge involved in the incident who avoided getting shot that night has now agreed to resign and not seek judicial office again over ethics claims wholly independent of the parking lot fracas.

The agreement by Judge Sabrina Bell ends an ethics case alleging that she struck her ex-husband in the face. Bell has also voluntarily agreed to a 150-day suspension of her law license, according to a July 25 press release by the Indiana Judicial Branch and a notice of closure filed July 25 by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications.

Judge Bell only received a 30-day suspension for the White Castle incident, triggered “after the two strangers yelled something from a car window, and Bell raised her middle finger at the men.” Not to say the shooters didn’t deserve the finger, but in light of the latest ethics charges it’s entirely possible Bell has some anger issues. Or, as she said back in 2019 per Fox 59:

Recorded statements by Bell to police after the incident include her saying, “I’m not denying that I said something or egged it on… because I drink… I mean I fully acknowledge that I drink and get mouthy, and I’m fiery and I’m feisty.”

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Which is all well and good until people are looking to you for judicial temperament. Hopefully, this career reorientation can mark the beginning of a slightly less fiery and feisty lifestyle.

Indiana judge involved in White Castle fracas agrees to resign after new ethics charges filed [ABA Journal]

Earlier: Judges Go Drinking, Head To Strip Club, Get Involved In A Shooting In White Castle Parking Lot

HeadshotJoe Patrice is a senior editor at Above the Law and co-host of Thinking Like A Lawyer. Feel free to email any tips, questions, or comments. Follow him on Twitter if you’re interested in law, politics, and a healthy dose of college sports news. Joe also serves as a Managing Director at RPN Executive Search.

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