Judge Dianna Bennington of Muncie, IN; ethical gremlin

The state of Indiana presented Dianna Lynn Bennington with a license in 2003.

The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications found Judge Bennington guilty of the following misconduct.

• Abused her judicial power
• Sentenced defendant to jail w/o any indication when he would be released
• Conducted sentencing hearing w/o prosecutor being present
• Engaged in public confrontation with father of her children by using profanity and a racial slur
• Engaged in a continuing pattern of misconduct
• Repeatedly brought the judiciary into disrepute
• Failed to adjudicate cases fairly and impartially
• Engaged in conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice
• Refused to cooperate with ethics investigators (Up yours, said Dianna)

As a consequence of her misconduct, the Indiana Supreme Court temporarily suspended Dianna from the bench while it awaits a decision from a three judge panel as to what punishment should be meted out to her.