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Tuesday, October 07, 2008

Ind. Courts - More on: Marion County Judge Hawkins, Master Commissioner Broyles charged by Disciplinary Commission

Updating this ILB entry from April 10th, the Indianapolis Star has a brief item today:

A two-day hearing will conclude today in the disciplinary action against a Marion Superior Court judge over his court's delayed handling of an exonerated man's case.

Harold David Buntin was released from prison in April 2007, as long as two years after a commissioner in Judge Grant Hawkins' court signed an order granting post-conviction relief. DNA evidence had cleared Buntin of rape.

Earlier this year, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed nearly a dozen charges against Hawkins and Master Commissioner Nancy L. Broyles. The filings alleged that the court was in disarray, that Buntin's file was missing, that the original order was lost and that Hawkins and his staff members made misleading statements.

Broyles, now retired, has signed an undisclosed agreement with the commission and may testify today in Hawkins' action. It is being heard by a panel of three active or retired judges, who could recommend sanctions to the Indiana Supreme Court next month.

Here is an ILB list including some earlier stories.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on October 7, 2008 08:59 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts