By Marcus Alan McGhee, Staff Attorney (former) Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications Managing a docket, staff, and one’s own mental and physical health can be challenging on any day, but especially when you have an abusive individual appearing before you in court. Some may talk over you, curse you, and the very audacious may even threaten you. While instinct might encourage a proportional response, the C … [Read more...] about (Ab)Use of Power: Effective Methods for Exercising Contempt of Court Powers
Ethics
Don’t panic: Just follow the rules
By Adrienne L. Meiring, Counsel & Luba Gore, Staff Attorney · Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications For the ethically minded criminal court judge, few pleadings cause more angst than the motion for a change of judge due to bias. Understandably, it can be difficult not to take an allegation of bias as a personal attack or to refrain from a defensive response. But just take a breath and let the rules be … [Read more...] about Don’t panic: Just follow the rules
The Good, the Bad, and the Disappointing
Adrienne Meiring, Executive Director | Disciplinary Commission From March 2020 through half of 2021, even the most patient souls have been tested: a pandemic, social unrest, and political uncertainty. In such times, there is a temptation to suggest that ethical standards should be relaxed in the name of survival. But challenging times make for creative solutions, and many Indiana judges found innovative ways to … [Read more...] about The Good, the Bad, and the Disappointing
Remote or Not…It’s Still a Court Proceeding
By Adrienne Meiring, Counsel | Judicial Qualifications Commission The past year has provided a number of unprecedented challenges for the judiciary, which has allowed the court system to demonstrate its adaptability and innovation to keep the wheels of justice moving. With the advent of video-conference hearings and court proceedings being livestreamed, parties and witnesses may participate in proceedings from a … [Read more...] about Remote or Not…It’s Still a Court Proceeding
Money, Power & Respect: A Candidate’s Guide to Judicial Campaigns
Marcus Alan McGhee, Staff Attorney | Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications Judges and judicial candidates must, to the greatest extent possible, be free and appear to be free from political influence and partisan interests. See Ind. Code of Jud. Cond., Canon 4, General Consideration. This can be an arduous task as judicial candidates merge into the steady stream of political campaigns going on around them. … [Read more...] about Money, Power & Respect: A Candidate’s Guide to Judicial Campaigns