A state panel has recommended that an Indiana judge be suspended for six days without pay following charges filed by the Indiana Judicial Qualifications Commission.
The commission filed the four misconduct charges against Blackford Circuit Court Judge Dean Young in June over a dispute with his county's clerk.
The commission alleged Young barred then-Blackford County Clerk Derinda Shady from the courthouse while she was hospitalized in August 2015 with chest pains she suffered after refusing to attend a meeting with Young and Superior Court Judge John N. Barry without a witness. The charges also allege that Young's conduct didn't promote public confidence in the impartiality of the judiciary.
The panel, which was composed of three judges, said Young's "misconduct adversely affected the integrity of and respect for the judiciary." However, the panel also said Young's "misconduct" wasn't motivated "by a desire for financial personal or material gain."
The state Supreme Court will decide what action, if any, will be taken against Young, The Star Press reported.
Attorneys for Young and the commission said they believe the recommended suspension is appropriate.
Young, a Republican, served 12 years in the Indiana House of Representatives before being elected as the circuit court judge in 2006.
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