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Sunday, May 10, 2009

Ind. Courts - Michigan City paper calls for Judge Koethe to resign

From this editorial today in the Michigan City News-Dispatch:

La Porte Superior Court 3 Judge Jennifer Evans Koethe has been indicted, and now she has been suspended from her position as a judge by the Indiana Supreme Court. Now it is time for her to resign the judgeship.

Yes, an indictment is merely an allegation, and she is presumed innocent until after a trial. She deserves a chance to clear her name in court.

But whatever the outcome of the charge against her, which is attempting to obstruct justice, it will be very hard for her to remain as the officeholder in Superior Court 3.

Aside from the class D felony for which she was indicted, the events that led to her suspension from the bench Friday paint a picture of someone who should not be in that position.

While Koethe was the victim of a gunshot - the circumstances neither she nor her husband, Stephan, have explained publicly - evidence indicates that she and her husband were intoxicated and doing something with a gun in their house late in the evening of Dec. 22 while his two minor children were present, in their own bedroom. That anyone would bring out a gun, after drinking, with children in the home, shows a lack of judgment not befitting a judge.

The fact that she has chosen not to discuss the matter public is telling, too. The entire handling of the incident by the authorities has suggested that they closed ranks to protect this former deputy prosecutor, who was elected in November and sworn in Dec. 31. When authorities go to that length, it only increases the cloud of suspicion over everyone involved. That cloud should not extend to a Superior Court of La Porte County, and the surest way to quickly restore public confidence in this local court is for Jennifer Koethe to step aside, focus on her defense, and let someone else take charge.

See this ILB entry from yesterday, quoting the News-Dispatch news story.

Posted by Marcia Oddi on May 10, 2009 01:38 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts