Scooping Hog Sh*t: "It Stinks"

An Indiana Circuit Court Judge has been charged by the state Commission on Judicial Qualifications

At all times pertinent to these Charges, Respondent presided over a general jurisdiction docket that included criminal and civil cases. Respondent's docket includes Children In Need of Services ("CHINS") cases, guardianship cases, paternity cases, and dissolution cases.

In a paternity matter

During Father's cross-examination on November 7, 2019, Respondent exhibited impatient, undignified, and discourteous behavior with Father.

During Father's cross-examination, Respondent interrupted the cross-examination at various times, making statements that included but are not limited to:

a. Telling Father to "be quiet," "zip it," to "shut [his] mouth," and to "shut up," even after Father apologized and indicated that he understood.
b. "And then what you don't have is, see, you don't have the child being passed off like a football. Oh, I'll pick - let me run for ten yards with it because I don't want that child to go over ten extra - over ten extra yards, and then the handoff."
c. "This is just bullshit. I'm sorry, I'm a farm boy. I was raised - I'm older than you. I was scooping hog shit long before you, man. I'm going to tell you what, this is crap. It stinks. This kind of behavior stinks. Okay?"

During the November 7, 2019 hearing, Respondent also made statements about his own divorce and custody proceedings, comparing the situation with that of Mother and Father in Paternity of HL.

At a later hearing

a. Referring to Father as "Bud," "Buddy," "Bro," and "Man."
b. "Now, I'm not playing with this. Okay? This is the 10th freaking day of this hearing. Okay? And again, I'm not prejudging nothing. I'm going to hear this case out and we'll let the attorneys do their findings. Okay? But I'm going to tell you what, you best be calling daddy up to get some money coming, I'm telling you that right now, because you have intentionally interfered with this woman's parenting time. Okay? And it's going to cost you a bundle. Okay?"
c. "This is one of the most egregious, okay, egregious interference of parenting time that I've ever seen. Okay? You do not follow my order again you bring your toothbrush, you're going to be over there for days and weeks and months. Is this crystal for you, man?"

In a CHINS matter, he is alleged to have held chambers conferences off-the-record and failing to provide notice and the opportunity to be heard to all parties. (Mike Frisch)