| ► Justice Evelyn Stratton of Ohio; crook, ethical gnome |
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Justice Evelyn Stratton of Ohio; crook, ethical gnome
Unfortunately, Justice Evelyn Stratton has been sitting on the Ohio Supreme Court since 1996.
Shortly after assuming her throne on the Ohio Supreme Court, Justice Evelyn Stratton decided she was entitled to a state-paid-for car for her own personal use.
IRS Publication 15-B required that Justice Evelyn Stratton pay federal taxes on any income she derived from the personal use of a state car. This w
 ould of course include any use for the purpose of commuting from her home at 28 West Stafford Avenue in Worthington, Ohio to the Supreme Court in downtown Columbus. Justice Evelyn Stratton’s commute to the court was 11.5 miles or 23.0 miles per roundtrip.
In addition, Justice Evelyn Stratton was required to pay income tax to the City of Columbus for her personal use of a state car.
Justice Evelyn Stratton’s W-2s for 2000 and 2001 prove that she never declared any income for the personal use of a state car and fuel despite piling up 17,028 miles from Jan 2000 through March 2001.
A cursory review of Justice Stratton’s fuel purchase records obtained from the Ohio Supreme Court clearly indicate that at least 80% of her use of a state car was of a personal nature. Evidence of said personal use is established as a result of the dates Justice Stratton purchased fuel as set forth below.
It would be frivolous for Justice Evelyn Stratton to argue that fueling up on Holidays and/or weekend days was in any way related to official court business.
Conclusion
It is indeed a rather sad commentary on the state of the judiciary in Ohio when a Supreme Court Justice finds it acceptable to thumb her nose at IRS Rules for the reporting of and payment of taxes on income earned from the personal use of a state car and fuel.
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