Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes says she will defend against court complaint recommending she undergo psych exam
Cleveland Municipal Judge Angela Stokes is under fire for how she runs her courtroom. The The Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel has recommended she undergo more scrutiny, including a psychiatric examine. (PD)
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on October 23, 2013 at 11:52 AM, updated October 23, 2013 at 5:57 PM
Cleveland Municipal Court Judge Angela Stokes said she plans to defend herself against a recent complaint filed by the Ohio Supreme Court's Office of Disciplinary Counsel that charges she abuses staff and defendants. The complaint also recommends she undergo a psychiatric exam.
"While the recent complaint filed before the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline of the Ohio Supreme Court contains allegations concerning alleged abuse, I am most troubled by the assertion that I may be suffering from a mental illness which interferes in my ability to serve as a judge," said in a statement released exclusively to the Call & Post, the state's largest black-owned newspaper. "I have never had mental health issues and will vigorously defend, in the appropriate forum, any suggestion along these lines."
Stokes also complains about the Plain Dealer's Monday editorial calling on her to step down.
"While the recent editorial of The Cleveland Plain Dealer cites Disciplinary Counsel's Complaint against me as if it is fact; nothing could be farther from the truth," she said. "I am in the process of formulating my defense with the assistance of counsel, and will indeed provide evidence which places the allegations in context."
The 49-page complaint states that Stokes abuses court resources, abuses lawyers and court staff and defendants who appear before her. The Call & Post did not write a story examining the complaint.
The Plain Dealer has previously documented the same complaints about Stokes and written columns about her, including one that noted the Disciplinary Counsel was tracking her.
The Disciplinary Counsel complaint does not force Stokes to step down. It represents the first step in the Ohio Supreme Court's process of evaluating the judge for discipline
"While the recent complaint filed before the Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline of the Ohio Supreme Court contains allegations concerning alleged abuse, I am most troubled by the assertion that I may be suffering from a mental illness which interferes in my ability to serve as a judge," said in a statement released exclusively to the Call & Post, the state's largest black-owned newspaper. "I have never had mental health issues and will vigorously defend, in the appropriate forum, any suggestion along these lines."
Stokes also complains about the Plain Dealer's Monday editorial calling on her to step down.
"While the recent editorial of The Cleveland Plain Dealer cites Disciplinary Counsel's Complaint against me as if it is fact; nothing could be farther from the truth," she said. "I am in the process of formulating my defense with the assistance of counsel, and will indeed provide evidence which places the allegations in context."
The 49-page complaint states that Stokes abuses court resources, abuses lawyers and court staff and defendants who appear before her. The Call & Post did not write a story examining the complaint.
The Plain Dealer has previously documented the same complaints about Stokes and written columns about her, including one that noted the Disciplinary Counsel was tracking her.
The Disciplinary Counsel complaint does not force Stokes to step down. It represents the first step in the Ohio Supreme Court's process of evaluating the judge for discipline
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