Judge Joy Oldfield of Akron; ethical misfit

The state of Ohio presented Joy Malek Oldfield with a law license in 2000 after dhe graduated from the University of Akron Law School. 

The Disciplinary Board of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court found Mike guilty of the following misconduct.

• Failed to engage in conduct promoting confidence in the judiciary
• Failed to withdraw from hearing cases when withdrawal mandatory
• Failed to avoid impropriety or appearance of impropriety
• Engaged in a conflict of interest

In one matter, Joy and her husband attended an evening event lasting into the next morning. Joy’s husband asked Catherine Loya, the public defender assigned to Joy’s courtroom, to drive Joy home, and he left. (WKYC)

Joy and Cathy left the party after 1 a.m. and stopped in a shopping center parking lot. A police officer pulled up and asked them for identification. Soon thereafter, two more cops arrived. When Cathy refused to take a field sobriety test, she was arrested and taken to the police station.

Joy asked the officers to take her to the station so she could be with Cathy. During he time with police, Joy mentioned that she was a judge.

Despite her relationship with Cathy, Joy presided over at least 50 cases wherein Cathy represented various clients. At not time did Cathy remove herself from any of these cases despite the obvious conflict of interest.

As a consequence of her misconduct, the patron saints for Judicial Misfits sitting on the Ohio Supreme Court punished Joy by gifting her with a complimentary reprimand.

As we speak (ca. July 2014), Joy continues to sit as a Municipal Court Judge in Akron.