Future_Milf
George Floyd got EVERYTHING he deserved.
A state disciplinary attorney issued a 118-page complaint against a Cleveland Municipal Court judge who, in spring 2020, ignored a directive to stop holding hearings because of the pandemic.
The new complaint filed Friday against Judge Pinkey Carr says she routinely flouted court rules and antagonized defendants, lawyers and court staff from the bench. It accuses the former city and county prosecutor of
********making inappropriate jokes about fictional strip clubs********
and says she issued arrest warrants for people who did not show up to court hearings that she scheduled without telling them.
Carr ran afoul of rules that require judges to conduct themselves fair and impartially, uphold the public’s confidence in the judiciary and maintain proper courtroom decorum. The sweeping complaint comes as Carr is already facing disciplinary proceedings for violating an administrative order limiting court hearings due to the coronavirus. She also made false statements to a TV station and another judge denying that she issued warrants for people who did not show up for hearings after the court announced it was postponing them. Other findings in the complaint say Carr:
Negotiated plea deals with defendants without a prosecutor or defense attorney present
Cracked jokes at the expense of defendants
Waived court costs and fines without asking whether they could afford to pay them and filing fictitious paperwork with the court
*******Presided over court hearings in workout clothes and no robe, prompting one defendant to ask court staff if a judge planned to attend the hearing.*******
Assistant disciplinary counsel Michell Hall wrote that Carr’s conduct violated multiple rules of professional conduct. Hall requested that the Board of Professional Conduct and the Ohio Supreme Court sanction Carr. Carr has until April 15 to file a response to the amended complaint.She routinely berates defendants who call her “ma’am” by referring to them as “little boy” and “little girl.” One elderly defendant repeatedly answered Carr’s questions with “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am.” As the woman walked out of the courtroom,
********Carr muttered loud enough for people in the courtroom to hear about how she wanted to punch the woman in the face.*******
The complaint also criticizes Carr for abusing the capias process in cases where she ordered people to pay fines without going through the clerk of court’s office. She regularly orders defendants to pay fines by a specific date, then schedules a hearing on their ability to pay a few days later if they fail to meet the deadline. If the defendants don’t show up to the hearing, she issues an arrest warrant that also includes an order barring them from qualifying for programs that allow them to pay their fines through community service, guaranteeing their arrest, the complaint said. In at least one case, Carr never told the defendant that she set the hearing.
When he didn’t show up, she issued the warrant, and he spent a total of five days in jail because he didn’t pay a fine for a misdemeanor traffic case. Friday’s complaint is in addition to disciplinary counsel Joseph Caligiuri’s complaint recommending Carr be disciplined for violating six rules of judicial and professional conduct. Among other things, those rules require judges to promote public confidence in the judiciary and bar attorneys from engaging in “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.”
Carr held court hearings in violation of the order that Administrative Judge Michelle Earley issued order postponing all court hearings for defendants who were not already in jail to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The March 13 order was posted on the court’s website and distributed to media outlets, who reported that the court hearings had been closed.
March 17 that Carr had held hearings that did not follow Earley’s order on the previous two days and issued capiases -- or arrest warrants -- for people who did not show up.
Carr went on to issue arrest warrants for 17 people who did not show up to her courtroom and issuing bonds for their eventual arrest. Carr also mocked an assistant public defender who had asked if he could tell his clients they didn’t need to come to court the next day in keeping with Earley’s order. Carr rejected his requested, and after the lawyer left the room, Carr turned to a member of her staff and *******referred to him as “little idiot."******
www.cleveland.com
The new complaint filed Friday against Judge Pinkey Carr says she routinely flouted court rules and antagonized defendants, lawyers and court staff from the bench. It accuses the former city and county prosecutor of
********making inappropriate jokes about fictional strip clubs********
and says she issued arrest warrants for people who did not show up to court hearings that she scheduled without telling them.
Carr ran afoul of rules that require judges to conduct themselves fair and impartially, uphold the public’s confidence in the judiciary and maintain proper courtroom decorum. The sweeping complaint comes as Carr is already facing disciplinary proceedings for violating an administrative order limiting court hearings due to the coronavirus. She also made false statements to a TV station and another judge denying that she issued warrants for people who did not show up for hearings after the court announced it was postponing them. Other findings in the complaint say Carr:
Negotiated plea deals with defendants without a prosecutor or defense attorney present
Cracked jokes at the expense of defendants
Waived court costs and fines without asking whether they could afford to pay them and filing fictitious paperwork with the court
*******Presided over court hearings in workout clothes and no robe, prompting one defendant to ask court staff if a judge planned to attend the hearing.*******
Assistant disciplinary counsel Michell Hall wrote that Carr’s conduct violated multiple rules of professional conduct. Hall requested that the Board of Professional Conduct and the Ohio Supreme Court sanction Carr. Carr has until April 15 to file a response to the amended complaint.She routinely berates defendants who call her “ma’am” by referring to them as “little boy” and “little girl.” One elderly defendant repeatedly answered Carr’s questions with “yes ma’am” and “no ma’am.” As the woman walked out of the courtroom,
********Carr muttered loud enough for people in the courtroom to hear about how she wanted to punch the woman in the face.*******
The complaint also criticizes Carr for abusing the capias process in cases where she ordered people to pay fines without going through the clerk of court’s office. She regularly orders defendants to pay fines by a specific date, then schedules a hearing on their ability to pay a few days later if they fail to meet the deadline. If the defendants don’t show up to the hearing, she issues an arrest warrant that also includes an order barring them from qualifying for programs that allow them to pay their fines through community service, guaranteeing their arrest, the complaint said. In at least one case, Carr never told the defendant that she set the hearing.
When he didn’t show up, she issued the warrant, and he spent a total of five days in jail because he didn’t pay a fine for a misdemeanor traffic case. Friday’s complaint is in addition to disciplinary counsel Joseph Caligiuri’s complaint recommending Carr be disciplined for violating six rules of judicial and professional conduct. Among other things, those rules require judges to promote public confidence in the judiciary and bar attorneys from engaging in “conduct involving dishonesty, fraud, deceit or misrepresentation.”
Carr held court hearings in violation of the order that Administrative Judge Michelle Earley issued order postponing all court hearings for defendants who were not already in jail to prevent the spread of COVID-19. The March 13 order was posted on the court’s website and distributed to media outlets, who reported that the court hearings had been closed.
March 17 that Carr had held hearings that did not follow Earley’s order on the previous two days and issued capiases -- or arrest warrants -- for people who did not show up.
Carr went on to issue arrest warrants for 17 people who did not show up to her courtroom and issuing bonds for their eventual arrest. Carr also mocked an assistant public defender who had asked if he could tell his clients they didn’t need to come to court the next day in keeping with Earley’s order. Carr rejected his requested, and after the lawyer left the room, Carr turned to a member of her staff and *******referred to him as “little idiot."******
Embattled Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Pinkey Carr accused of more inappropriate behavior in new disciplinary complaint
The sweeping 118-page complaint comes as Carr is already facing disciplinary proceedings for violating an administrative order limiting court hearings during the coronavirus and making false statements to a TV station and to another judge denying that she issued arrest warrants.
www.cleveland.com
Last edited:
