Bizarre Judge Carr Removed From The Bench For Misconduct

Being a judge is a serious obligation. Knowledge, wisdom and what is called ‘judicial temperament’ are required. Judicial temperament includes giving the appearance of probity and presenting at least the facade of taking the job of judging seriously. Evidently, some judges fall off their metaphorical bench.

An Ohio judge was removed from the bench Tuesday for misconduct. Judge Pinkey Susan Carr’s misconduct was egregious. Her misdeeds included repeatedly lying, issuing illegitimate arrest warrants, and, notably, wearing spandex shorts, tank tops and sneakers in court.

Judge Carr was suspended indefinitely by the Ohio Supreme Court as she agreed to undergo evaluations of her mental and physical health. She had been accused of more than 100 instances of misconduct. Carr received the second-most severe sanction that can be imposed against an attorney or judge for ethics violations.

Carr’s misbehavior first came to light as she continued holding court hearings after the onset of the global COVID-19 pandemic forced the courthouse to shut down. She subsequently issued warrants for the arrest of defendants who did not show up to court, despite being told they were not required to because of the coronavirus.

She repeatedly set bails at $5,000 and $10,000 for defendants who were not in court and then lied and said it was ‘absolutely untrue’ that she had issued said warrants.

The scathing 58-page filing case against her accuses Carr of a variety of outrageous behaviors that amount to presiding over her courtroom ‘in a manner befitting a game show host rather than a judge of the Cleveland Municipal Court.’

Some of her misconduct is identified. “She often demeaned defendants and attorneys in her courtroom, calling one attorney who questioned holding court during the pandemic a ‘little idiot.’ Her desk / bench was covered ‘by an array of dolls, cups, and junk novelty items,’ read the filing.

Bizarrely, Carr openly discussed the Starz television show P-Valley, which is about a Mississippi strip club. ‘You know what my P-Valley, my name gonna be Passion. I got to go to that class though so I can learn how to climb that pole,’ she said, also referring to her bailiff as ‘Miss Pudding from P-Valley.’

She repeatedly waived fines and expunged court reprimands for defendants for arbitrary reasons, including the timing of their birthday.

More details are provided. “In court records, she wrote on a number of occasions that she had waived a fine because ‘It was the defendant’s birthday that month,’ or ‘The defendant’s birthday was nine days before Valentine’s Day.’” ‘I’m going to suspend your fine and costs because you know Eric. And his birthday is May the 26th, the same day as my best friend’s birthday,’ she said in one instance.

She also pushed the boundaries of her judicial power in the absence of a prosecutor.

‘The prosecutor’s not here. Let’s see how much we can get away with,’ she said according to the filing. She once ordered someone to spend 15 days in jail because they rolled their eyes and made a sarcastic remark in her courtroom.

Then there is the workplace wardrobe, which was alleged to have “challenged the standards of her position.”

According to the complaint, ‘She has at various times appeared on the bench wearing workout attire consisting of a tank top and long shorts; or a T-shirt and above-the-knee spandex shorts and sneakers.’ More attire indiscretions are alleged. “She also made a habit of wearing loud and prominent necklaces and other pieces of jewelry to court, which complimented the myriad flowers, bottles, and other novelty items she kept on her bench.”

The attorney who defended her, Nicholas Froning, argued that the judge’s poor conduct as a public official stemmed from ‘mistreated’ or ‘untreated’ conditions including ‘sleep apnea, menopause, and a generalized mood disorder.’ Her attorney argued: ‘When it comes to sleep apnea, she was unable to get the sleep necessary. When it comes to the menopause, she was dealing with issues wherein she wasn’t able to function to 100%.’

The article alleged, sloppily, they were “arguments the panel found incredulous and “had a hard time buying.” They didn’t have a hard time buying it. They did not buy it.

Members of the Ohio Supreme Court seemed reluctant to accept her attorney’s argument that Carr’s suffering from a handful of mood destabilizing afflictions were what caused her deteriorating professional behavior.

‘How does sleep apnea or menopause contribute to lying?’ asked Ohio Justice Patrick Fischer.

It was clai