Central Kentucky judge suspended 14 days for issuing threat, thwarting lawyer
A Central Kentucky judge will be suspended without pay for 14 days for multiple violations of the judicial conduct code after she refused to recuse herself from a case in July 2019 and then tried to block the release of a courtroom videotape.
The Judicial Conduct Commission on Friday announced the suspension of District Judge Donna G. Dutton, one of two judges to sit in the 53rd Judicial District, covering Anderson, Shelby and Spencer counties.
According to the suspension order, a defense attorney in a Shelby County criminal case asked Dutton to recuse herself because of a personal conflict.
“At a bench conference conducted during the proceedings, Judge Dutton accused defense counsel of stealing from her husband, Gilmore Dutton,” according to order. “She then commented that defense counsel ‘is not going to be conflicted out forever,’ which was reasonably perceived as a threat by the parties involved. After the bench conference, she failed to immediately recuse.”
When the defense attorney tried to obtain a videotape of the bench conference, he discovered that Dutton had “improperly pressured” the circuit court clerk and the district’s other judge to thwart him, according to the order. Ultimately, the Kentucky Administrative Office of the Courts and a special judge had to get involved in the case.
The commission concluded that Dutton violated eight judicial conduct rules, including compliance with the law, acting fairly and impartially and not allowing personal relationships to interfere with her professional duties.
While she is suspended from Sept. 6 to Sept. 20, Dutton must remain out of her courthouse offices and surrender her courthouse security passes.
