| ► Ohio Judicial Conference - June 2001 - Visiting Judges Overpaid? |
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Ohio Judicial Conference Newsletter – June 2001 Visiting Judges Overpaid?
You may have heard or read about allegations that several assigned judges overcharged for their services.
Here are the facts as they now stand: In early May, a total of 57 felony theft charges were filed against nine assigned judges from across Ohio.
The charges involved a total of as much as $50,000.
The charges were filed by David Palmer, self-proclaimed judicial watchdog and executive director of
the one-man Committee to Expose Dishonest and Incompetent Attorneys and Judges. You get a sense of
his views at www.noethics.net.
Some judges agreed that they had in fact been overpaid due to clerical errors, and have returned some
money.
At a May 30 hearing, Franklin County Municipal Judge Anne Taylor dismissed all the charges. Judge Taylor agreed with Assistant Prosecutor
David M. Buchman that further details about the Supreme Court’s system of paying appointed retired
judges are needed. Mr. Buchman will examine these details, and consider whether Mr. Palmer’s charges have any validity.
On June 5, the Supreme Court asked the state auditor’s office to provide an independent review of the policies and procedures used to compensate visiting judges. According to Steve Hollon, Administrative Director of the Court, the Court is requesting the review “because it is important to retain the public’s trust and confidence in this important program for the management of the court dockets statewide.”
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