John Plough
John Plough was a judge of the Portage County Municipal Court in Ohio. He became a judge in 2005 after serving as Portage county prosecutor for 12 years. He retired from the bench at the end of his term on December 31, 2009.[1][2]
Complaints against Judge Plough
Numerous complaints have been made about Judge Plough's courtroom actions. The Ohio Eleventh District Court of Appeals heavily criticized him for refusing to provide a complete trial transcript of a case that was thrown out upon appeal. The court noted that "this trial judge has a documented history of failing to provide a complete record on appeal."
Other matters that have been cause for complaint against the judge include "letting his dogs roam freely in the Kent courthouse, jailing a public defender which drew the anger of criminal defense attorneys across the nation, and using a court computer to access entertainment, sports and betting Web sites". Public Defender Dennis Lager indicates that it is routine in his office to request jury trials in front of Plough due to the belief that he treats defendants unfairly.[1]
Law license suspended
Judge Plough will lose his law license for six months per an agreement he signed with the disciplinary arm of the Ohio Supreme Court.[3] Plough had a 90-minute hearing before a three-member panel of the Supreme Court where he testified for close to an hour. Toward the end of his testimony, Plough broke down in tears. He has signed a statement agreeing with most of the charges against him, including failure to act with patience and dignity, poor record keeping, and inappropriate interjections into cases he heard.[4][2]
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Appeals court slaps Portage County judge for gaps in trial records, Cleveland Plain Dealer Metro Blog, December 23, 2008
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 E-Portage News, "Former Portage County Minicipal Court Judge Looses Law License," July 22, 2010
- ↑ Beacon Journal "Portage judge to lose law license for six months," October 21, 2009 (dead link)
- ↑ Cleveland Metro Blog "Judge John Plough breaks down in tears before disciplinary panel," October 26, 2009
Federal courts:
Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio
State courts:
Ohio Supreme Court • Ohio District Courts of Appeal • Ohio Courts of Common Pleas • Ohio County Courts • Ohio Municipal Courts • Ohio Court of Claims
State resources:
Courts in Ohio • Ohio judicial elections • Judicial selection in Ohio
