Ohio judge threatens defendant, may be punished by Supreme Court

January 13, 2010

Ohio: Judge Daniel Gaul of the Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas is under scrutiny by the Ohio Supreme Court for threatening a defendant in an assault case. Judge Gaul believed that the victim in this case had been intimidated in order to keep her from testifying, so he threatened the defendant with jail time if the victim did not testify. The Supreme Court's disciplinary board said that this violated the state's Code of Judicial Conduct and Rules of Professional Conduct.