John A. Zodrow
John A. Zodrow was a Wisconsin Municipal Courts judge for Milwaukee County, Wisconsin. Milwaukee County is part of the 1st Judicial District.[1] He was up for re-election in 2010 and was not re-elected.
Judicial misconduct
Zodrow has been charged with judicial misconduct for failing to process at least 1,000 cases in a timely manner. The Wisconsin Judicial Commission found probable cause to believe that Zodrow engaged in misconduct "by his willful or persistent failure to perform official duties".[2] In addition to failing to rule on cases within a reasonable timeframe, Zodrow has been refusing to adjudicate parking ticket cases as a protest against City of Cudahy's Police Department. "Judge Zodrow has said that he puts parking stipulation cases in a box and 'they can sit and collect dust until hell freezes over for all I care.'"[2][3]
Zodrow claims that the backlog is due to a lack of clerical help and that he has requested aid multiple times since 2002. No specific discipline against him has been requested.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ Municipal Courts Directory
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Zodrow Complaint "In the Matter of Judicial Disciplinary Proceedings Against the Honorable John A. Zodrow," November 2009
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel "Close the backlog," November 27, 2009
- ↑ Milwaukee Journal Sentinel "Cudahy judge says case backload due to lack of clerical help," November 24, 2009
Federal courts:
Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Wisconsin, Western District of Wisconsin
State courts:
Wisconsin Supreme Court • Wisconsin Court of Appeals • Wisconsin Circuit Courts • Wisconsin Municipal Courts
State resources:
Courts in Wisconsin • Wisconsin judicial elections • Judicial selection in Wisconsin