Judge Angela R. Stokes facing allegations of courtroom misconduct, psychiatric examination
Since she first took the bench in 1995, Judge Angela R. Stokes faced what a formal complaint would later describe as a disproportionately large number of accusations of unfairness, unreasonable behavior and an "inability to administer her docket in a timely manner."[1] Charges against her came from prosecutors and defense attorneys alike. She was accused of reprimanding, abusing and jailing individuals on minor charges such as whispering. Lawyers were reportedly not allowed to ask questions about courtroom procedures. This alleged misbehavior prompted calls for Stokes to have a mental health examination.[2]
Stokes denied the allegations and fought efforts to suspend her law license. She accused investigators of racial and gender bias. She insisted that her behavior in court did not harm the public.[3]
Investigation of alleged erratic behavior in courtroom (2013)
In January 2013, the disciplinary counsel for the Ohio Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline began speaking with staff, as well as attorneys who had appeared before her, about Stokes' "performance and behavior" as a judge.[4] Stokes was accused of excessive delays in the courtroom and wasting taxpayer dollars for ordering drug tests for minor traffic violators.[4]
Special investigator Michael Murman looked into complaints about Stokes on behalf of the Ohio Office of Disciplinary Counsel. He found complaints of staff burnout among employees from various departments who worked in Judge Stokes' courtroom. For instance, although the public defender's office usually assigned their attorneys to a particular judge for three months, attorneys were only required to serve in Judge Stokes' courtroom for two months. As a reward for taking an assignment with Judge Stokes, public defenders were allowed to select their next assignment.[5]
Before the Cleveland Municipal Court instituted several court-wide, administrative rule changes, Stokes would reportedly conduct court matters until 7 or 8 p.m. on a routine basis, although the court's other judges were generally done by 3 p.m. The City of Cleveland incurred significant costs for overtime and compensatory time off for employees and attorneys who were required to work longer than their regular work hours on matters being heard in Stokes' court.[5]
Stokes required anyone entering her court to sign their name on a sheet and indicate why they were there. Once court began, no one in the courtroom was permitted to leave, even to use the bathroom. Observers, defendants, attorneys and others who worked for the court said they were subjected to abusive treatment or ejection from the court by Stokes for things like whispering or allowing their cellphone to ring while in her courtroom. Attorneys appearing in her court complained of being told they were "out of order" or being threatened with contempt for asking Stokes to clarify a court ruling.[5]
Formal complaint recommended psychiatric evaluation
The Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline filed a 49-page formal misconduct complaint against Stokes on October 17, 2013. She was accused of abusing court resources, abusing court personnel, abusing lawyers, abusing defendants and the public, and making abusive legal errors. In addition, the complaint accused Stokes of abusing the constitutional freedoms of defendants and other individuals entering her courtroom by making hasty decisions and imposing burdensome conditions upon defendants. It recommended that Stokes undergo a psychiatric evaluation.[5]
The complaint stated:
| “ | . . .respondent's behavior has negatively impacted every component of the criminal justice system she has come into contact with as a judicial officer, including prosecutors, public defenders, security bailiffs, personal bailiffs, court reporters, psychiatric clinic employees, probation officers, defendants and the public - and has led to the adoption of several court-wide rules or departmental policy changes in order to accommodate respondent's unwarranted use of court resources and constantly changing expectations.[5][6] | ” |
Although a formal complaint for judicial misconduct was filed against Stokes, she was allowed to continue serving as a judge until the full Board of Commissioners for the Office of Disciplinary Counsel heard the formal complaint and made a recommendation to the Ohio Supreme Court. The Supreme Court then had the options of adopting, modifying or rejecting the Board's recommendations.[2]
On October 23, 2013, The Cleveland Plain Dealer published an editorial calling for Stokes to step down from the bench.[7]
Stokes denied allegations
In a statement published by the Call & Post on October 23, 2013, Stokes said she would disprove the allegations against her in a formal hearing. The judge added that she was most troubled by accusations of mental illness.[8] According to Stokes, The Cleveland Plain Dealer discussed the complaint's allegations as proven facts in a recent editorial. However, she plans to "provide evidence which places the allegations in context."[8]
| “ | I have never had mental health issues and will vigorously defend, in the appropriate forum, any suggestion along these lines.[6] | ” |
| —Judge Angela Stokes[8] | ||
Stokes to stop hearing criminal cases (2014)
On March 14, 2014, Cleveland Municipal Court Administrative Judge Ronald Adrine ordered that Stokes would no longer hear criminal cases. Her criminal cases were reassigned to other judges, increasing their caseloads by about 8 percent.[9] Stokes continued to hear civil cases and matters from magistrates she was assigned to review. She was not ordered to step down from the bench. However, in his ruling, Adrine said he took action to reassign Stokes after receiving 100 new complaints about her behavior in the court.[9]
The disciplinary counsel for the Ohio Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline filed the formal complaint against Stokes, detailing allegations made against her in more than 330 prior incident reports filed with the municipal court. In her response to the formal complaint, Stokes denied the charges against her. Stokes indicated she believed Adrine did not have the authority to prevent her from hearing criminal cases since the disciplinary board panel had not yet finished reviewing her case. She also noted that the panel did not require her to undergo a psychiatric exam. The panel had found that a video submitted by the board's disciplinary counsel with the complaint did not show Stokes acting in a way which proved she suffered from a mental illness. The panel indicated it was continuing to review the complaint, and the ruling only applied to the issue of the psychiatric exam.[10]
Law license suspended
On December 18, 2014, the Ohio Supreme Court temporarily suspended Stokes's law license. On January 20, 2015, Stokes filed a 196-page response, arguing that the charges of judicial misconduct against her violated her Fourteenth Amendment to equal treatment under the law. Stokes cited six other justices, all white, who had not had their law licenses suspended after being charged with judicial misconduct for actions worse or comparable to the charges levied against her. Her response stated: "It appears that [Stokes], who is an African-American female, has not been treated in a manner similar to white judges in like circumstance."[3][11]
Stokes's hearing was originally set for February 23, 2015, but was delayed a few days as lawyers from both sides tried to reach a settlement of sanctions for her behavior and conditions for possibly returning to the bench.[3][12] On February 26 and 27, Stokes' hearing resumed as the last-minute settlement negotiations fell through.[13][14]
Stokes's motion for dissolution or modification of her suspension order can be read here.
The Ohio Supreme Court's disciplinary office's response to Stokes's motion can be read here.
Stokes resignation (2015)
Three years after the initiation of complaints, investigations and hearings into allegations of judicial misconduct, Angela Stokes agreed to step down from the bench. Under the proposed deal, she would never again serve on the bench in exchange for charges against her being dropped. The Office of Disciplinary Counsel also agreed not to oppose Stokes' request to have her law license reinstated. The municipal court judge was accused of mistreating her staff as well as defendants and attorneys who had appeared before her. The plea agreement was subject to approval by the Ohio Supreme Court's board of professional conduct. That panel was scheduled to hear the matter on January 6, 2016.[15][16]
Stokes officially resigned on January 6, 2016. Her replacement was appointed by Ohio Governor John Kasich.[17]
See also
External links
- Cleveland Municipal Court, "Judge Angela R. Stokes"
- Cleveland Municipal Court website
- The Supreme Court of Ohio & the Ohio Judicial System, "Ohio Board of Commissioners on Grievances & Discipline"
- The Supreme Court of Ohio & the Ohio Judicial System, "Ohio Office of Disciplinary Counsel"
- Lexology, "Cleveland judge Angela Stokes claims race discrimination in disciplinary proceeding," March 2, 2015
Footnotes
- ↑ The Supreme Court of Ohio, "Complaint against Angela Rochelle Stokes," accessed November 5, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes should undergo psychiatric examination for courtroom behavior, Ohio Supreme Court complaint concludes," October 18, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "Report" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Cleveland.com, "Judge Angela Stokes says she's not being treated the same as 'white judges' and denies her courtroom behavior has harmed the public: Mark Naymik," February 10, 2015
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Cleveland.com, "Cleveland Judge Angela Stokes draws well-deserved attention of Ohio Supreme Court: Mark Naymik," January 26, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 The Supreme Court of Ohio, Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline, "Complaint against Honorable Angela Rochelle Stokes, Case No. 13-057," dated September 25, 2013
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ The Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Cleveland Municipal Judge Angela Stokes says she will defend against court complaint recommending she undergo psych exam," October 23, 2013
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Call & Post, "Judge Angela Stokes' statement on recent allegations," October 23, 2013 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; name "call" defined multiple times with different content - ↑ 9.0 9.1 The Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes barred from hearing criminal cases," March 15, 2014
- ↑ The Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes doesn't have to undergo psych exam; plans to fight order barring her from hearing criminal cases," March 18, 2014
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes temporarily loses law license," December 18, 2014
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Judge Angela Stokes' disciplinary hearing on her courtroom behavior delayed as sanctions and settlement discussed," February 20, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Judge Angela Stokes to defend her courtroom behavior at trial after failing to reach last-minute settlement," February 24, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland.com, "Judge Angela Stokes trial continues (Live coverage): Mark Naymik," February 27, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland Plain Dealer, "Judge Angela Stokes to resign and never seek re-election as all disciplinary charges against her are dismissed," December 22, 2015
- ↑ Newsnet5, "Cleveland judge Angela Stokes agrees to step down, never run again," December 23, 2015
- ↑ Cleveland Plain Dealer, "It's official: Judge Angela Stokes is out; Gov. Kasich to pick her replacement," January 6, 2016
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