Prosecutor asks top court to block judge from hearing all 280 cases handled by his office
An Ohio prosecutor has asked the state’s top court to disqualify a Lorain County judge from hearing all 276 criminal and four civil cases being pursued by his office.
County Prosecutor Dennis Will says in an Ohio Supreme Court filing on Wednesday that Court of Common Pleas Judge James Burge has used sexually and racially charged language and has tried to get a county job for his wife, among other conduct that the prosecutor found objectionable, reports the Chronicle-Telegram.
However, Burge, backed by a number of attorneys, says he has done nothing wrong.
“I have every confidence I will be able to refute these allegations,” he told the newspaper.
And practitioner Mike Duff said he thinks Burge, who has always treated him fairly, made jokes that were blown out of proportion.
“They’re trying to paint him as someone who’s evil and he’s not,” Duff told the newspaper. “He’s always been fair to my clients, especially my minority clients.”
Related coverage:
Chronicle-Telegram: “Judge Burge says grand jury will focus on him”
