MADISON COUNTY — A Madison County Circuit Court judge faces disciplinary charges for incidents of failing to supervise court staff and failing to take action in as many as 40 criminal cases.
Judge Scott A. Norrick faces four disciplinary charges by the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications.
According to a statement of charges filed, Norrick had multiple instances of failing to have court staff make entries on cases within his court.
Notably, Norrick had a conflict of interest in cases involving Landmark Accounts Inc. in his court. For hearings involving Landmark Accounts, a court magistrate oversaw the hearings but there were no entries to signify this and all court documents utilized Norrick's signature via stamp.
As the issues with Landmark Accounts Inc. continued, the Commission alleges Norrick violated judicial canons by failing to properly take action in approximately 40 criminal cases.
As a result of the missing entries and orders in criminal cases, approximately 16 cases were dismissed because the defendants were not tried in a timely manner under Indiana Criminal Rule 4(C)2, according to the statement of charges filed.
Delays in criminal cases included the issuing of warrants, according to the statement. Delays ranged from 30 days to 16 months in cases ranging from Battery Against a Public Safety Official to Neglect of a Dependent and Domestic Battery.
Judge Norrick is permitted (but not required) to file an answer to the charges within 20 days.
The Indiana Supreme Court will rule on what and if misconduct occurred.
Norrick provided the following statement to WRTV.
I need to apologize to our entire community as I have failed to properly supervise Circuit Court 5 staff and that has resulted in hearings not being set, appearances of a conflict of interest, and has caused cases to be dismissed.
I fully accept responsibility and the consequences for the administrative errors made in my court and I am cooperating with the Judicial Qualifications Commission to resolve these matters quickly.
During my tenure, our court has undergone extensive reviews, made significant improvements in internal processes, and I have enhanced the training of my staff. Great strides have been made to prevent administrative errors and ensure that Circuit Court 5 fully serves our county’s citizens.
Thank you for putting your trust in me as Judge of Circuit Court 5. I remain committed to this wonderful community and to demonstrating full transparency and honesty, so we can better represent the public’s interest.
