STOW, Ohio — The Ohio Supreme Court has removed longtime Stow Municipal Court Judge Kim Hoover from office.
According to the Ohio Supreme Court, Hoover has been suspended from the practice of law for 18 months, with six months conditionally stayed. He was immediately suspended from judicial office without pay for the duration of his disciplinary suspension.
The suspension comes after the Supreme Court found that Hoover had committed 48 violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct and 16 violations of the Rules of Professional Conduct.
In the decision, the Ohio Supreme Court noted that Hoover wrongfully incarcerated two men and 14 others were "coerced into paying fines and costs under unlawful threats of incarceration.”
"Hoover’s overzealous collection of unsegregated fines and costs manifested a bias against those of lower socioeconomic status, a bias that, as detailed above, was readily apparent during his interactions with these defendants," said Justice Patrick Fisher in the opinion. "Moreover, by disregarding statutorily required procedures to achieve his goals of teaching defendants 'basic discipline' and 'basic responsibility,' Hoover acted in a manner that diminished the public’s confidence in the judiciary and was prejudicial to the administration of justice."
In the opinion, Justice Fisher noted that the criminal justice system prevents a person from being jailed for failing to pay court cases.
"Hoover leaned into the idea of a debtors’ prison, unlawfully incarcerating or threatening to incarcerate individuals for nonpayment of fines without due process, and unconstitutionally incarcerating or threatening to incarcerate individuals for nonpayment of court costs. And he routinely failed to inform the defendants of their right to counsel," said Justice Fisher.
Hoover has served as a municipal court judge since 1995, when he was appointed by then-Governor George Voinovich. In addition, he served on Cuyahoga Falls City Council from 1990-95.
He was admitted to the Ohio Bar in 1979 after graduating from the Univerity of Akron School of Law.
The full opinion from the Ohio Supreme Court can be read below:
