COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Franklin County judge whose scolding of a jury drew national attention has been publicly reprimanded by the state Supreme Court.
READ MORE: In the Columbus Dispatch
Following a criminal trial in 2013, Municipal Court Judge Amy Salerno told jurors that their not-guilty verdict was wrong, and she also disclosed additional charges pending against the defendant.
In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Supreme Court Wednesday publicly reprimanded Salerno, concluding that she violated judicial conduct rules requiring judges “to behave in ways to promote the judiciary’s integrity and impartiality” and another that prohibits judges from “commenting on jury verdicts except in a court order or opinion,” according to a release from the court.
The Ohio State Bar Association filed the charges last May with the court’s Board of Commissioners on Grievances and Discipline, now called the Board of Professional Conduct.
According to the complaint, several jurors were upset by the criticisms, and the court pointed out that Salerno’s statements “attracted national media coverage, subjecting the state’s judicial system to criticism and ridicule.”
Salerno has served on the Municipal Court bench since 2005 and could have been faced with the suspension of her law license and removal from the bench.