Remaining case against suspended judge dismissed on Tuesday; top court stays jail term on Thursday
Hours before she was scheduled to be taken into custody on Friday, a suspended Ohio juvenile court judge got good news. The state’s highest court has ruled that Judge Tracie Hunter does not have to serve a six-month sentence for having an unlawful interest in a public contract until her appeal of her 2014 conviction is decided, reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.
“We got our stay, and we are thrilled,” her attorney, David Singleton, told the newspaper. “Judge Hunter does not have to go to jail tomorrow.”
It was the second time this week that Hunter got good news about her case: On Tuesday, as jury selection was about to start in her second trial, the state dropped eight remaining charges against her, reports WLWT.
The eight charges had been included in her original trial, but the jury decided only one of nine counts, deadlocking on the others. The jury agreed with the government that Hunter had helped her brother, who also worked for the juvenile court in Hamilton County, get hold of confidential documents that he produced in a hearing in an attempt to retain his job.
“Whether Tracie Hunter is convicted of one felony or nine felonies makes little or no difference,” special prosecutor Scott Croswell told the station. “She’s now a disgraced former judge, a convicted felon who’s been sentenced to six months in jail.”
Supporters of Hunter suggested the charges had been dropped because the state was unlikely to win at trial in what they said was a politically motivated case intended to put a judge who challenged the system in her place.
A smiling Hunter refrained from specific comment, but offered one thought: “To God be the glory,” she said.
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Will convicted judge serve 6-month jail term before her appeal is heard?”
ABAJournal.com: “Convicted judge is indicted again”
