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By John Seewer
Associated Press writer
POSTED: 03:06 p.m. EDT, May 20, 2008
The Ohio Supreme Court scolded a county judge today for taking too much time in ruling on cases before his court, some which languished for up to two years.
It's the first time the court has disciplined a judge for failing to manage cases in a timely manner.
The state's high court reviewed the work of Sandusky County Judge Harry Sargeant Jr. and said it found unnecessary delays in cases that included child-support and divorce disputes.
Ohio Chief Justice Thomas Moyer said unjustified delays diminish confidence in the legal system and had a profound impact on those involved, including children.
Sargeant left many people ''in a legal limbo, often for a period of years,'' Moyer wrote in the court's 6-1 opinion.
All courts in Ohio have rules that set guidelines on how long cases should take to be resolved.
Sargeant, who has been a judge in Sandusky County since 1979, often kept cases pending for longer than the time guidelines, according to the court, which reviewed the judge's cases from 1998 through 2007.
Sargeant's attorney, Charles Kettlewell, said today that the delays were caused by a need for more staff and miscommunications between the court and attorneys who had cases before the judge.
The court said Sargeant agreed that he violated provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct. The court also noted that he cooperated fully in the disciplinary proceedings and has hired a law clerk to help with his caseload.
In one divorce case filed in September 2003, Sargeant conducted a hearing a year later, but he did not make a final decision until August 2006 after an attorney filed a grievance. The woman who filed for divorce and her attorney had twice before asked the judge when a decision would be made, the court said.
Time guidelines for courts say that divorce cases involving children should be resolved within 18 months while divorces without children should be taken care of within a year.
AP-CS-05-20-08 1537EDT
The Ohio Supreme Court scolded a county judge today for taking too much time in ruling on cases before his court, some which languished for up to two years.
It's the first time the court has disciplined a judge for failing to manage cases in a timely manner.
The state's high court reviewed the work of Sandusky County Judge Harry Sargeant Jr. and said it found unnecessary delays in cases that included child-support and divorce disputes.
Ohio Chief Justice Thomas Moyer said unjustified delays diminish confidence in the legal system and had a profound impact on those involved, including children.
Sargeant left many people ''in a legal limbo, often for a period of years,'' Moyer wrote in the court's 6-1 opinion.
All courts in Ohio have rules that set guidelines on how long cases should take to be resolved.
Sargeant, who has been a judge in Sandusky County since 1979, often kept cases pending for longer than the time guidelines, according to the court, which reviewed the judge's cases from 1998 through 2007.
Sargeant's attorney, Charles Kettlewell, said today that the delays were caused by a need for more staff and miscommunications between the court and attorneys who had cases before the judge.
The court said Sargeant agreed that he violated provisions of the Code of Judicial Conduct. The court also noted that he cooperated fully in the disciplinary proceedings and has hired a law clerk to help with his caseload.
In one divorce case filed in September 2003, Sargeant conducted a hearing a year later, but he did not make a final decision until August 2006 after an attorney filed a grievance. The woman who filed for divorce and her attorney had twice before asked the judge when a decision would be made, the court said.
Time guidelines for courts say that divorce cases involving children should be resolved within 18 months while divorces without children should be taken care of within a year.
AP-CS-05-20-08 1537EDT
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