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Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Ind. Courts - "Knightstown judge sues to save town court"

On Feb. 21, 2011, the ILB posted this entry headed "Knightstown council wants new judge to be an attorney."

On July 23, 2011 the Indiana Economic Digest reprinted from the New Castle Courier-Times this long story by Craig Mauger that begins:

KNIGHTSTOWN - The story of Knightstown Town Court has seen twists and turns this year. But the latest development may be its last.

Citing a "bleak" financial outlook, the Knightstown Town Council voted unanimously this week to close the town court at the end of the year.

On Friday, Henry County Prosecutor Kit Crane and the court's judge, Bart Whitesitt, called the decision surprising and unexpected.

"I was shocked," said Whitesitt.

The decision to close the court, which had been in operation since the 1950s, came about five months after former Knightstown Town Court Judge Hayden Butler mysteriously resigned from his position.

At the time of his resignation, Knightstown Town Court tried misdemeanors and infractions. The court was in session on Tuesday and Thursday nights and Saturday mornings. It served as a place where people with day jobs could attend court and not miss work.

After Butler resigned, the town council was forced to make a decision about how to move forward with the court. The council looked into increasing the pool of possible replacements for Butler by removing a restriction that the judge be a Knightstown resident. The council also considered a new requirement that the judge be a lawyer.

However, the Henry County Republican Party decided in February to replace Butler with Whitesitt, a Knightstown resident who's not a lawyer.

Today the Courier-Times has another story on the Knightstown Town Court. It is headed "Judge sues to save town court." Unfortunately, the entire paper is behind a paywall, so all we can read is the teaser:
In an attempt to save Knightstown Town Court, the court's judge has filed a lawsuit against the Town of Knightstown. The Town Council plans to close the court on Oct. 31. In the suit, Judge Bart Whitesitt and his attorney Tony Saunders allege that members of the town council violated state law when they voted to close the court this year....

Posted by Marcia Oddi on September 14, 2011 01:18 PM
Posted to Indiana Courts