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Sunday, October 29, 2006

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Endorsing Sutula and Saffold?

Posted by Pete Kotz on Sun, Oct 29, 2006 at 2:14 PM

In Cuyahoga County, deciding which judge to vote for is a lot like buying a pair of jeans -- it's all about the name on the ass. With so many Russos and Corrigans on the ballot, it's hard to tell the genuine article from the real McCoy. And since the Common Pleas bench has never been confused with the Oxford faculty, the right choice may mean the difference between electing a true legal mind, or getting some guy who won his law license in the 50-50 raffle at a CYO basketball game. "People really guess," says Jim Robenalt of the Judicial Candidate Rating Coalition, which offers rankings of our robes with help from the county's five bar associations. The Plain Dealer also tries hard to break the confusion, spending considerable time and ink on its endorsements. But it has to worry about political considerations well, of appearing too biased to its readers for one party, creed, or color. So Punch wasn't at all surprised to see the paper endorse two of the county's worst judges. For the last five years, Kathleen Ann Sutula and Shirley Strickland Saffold have kept appellate courts busy. They've had to review 247 from Sutula's court, and 233 from Saffold's, good for first and third, respectively, among the county's 34 Common Pleasers — and each suckingly close to double the average of their colleagues. Saffold, meanwhile, is the gold standard for having her decisions reversed. The second-term Democrat is first with 46, twice the number of any other judge. More than half came from criminal cases. In a 2003 drug case, Saffold pressured a defendant into representing himself at trial when he hadn't been officially assigned a lawyer, had never waived his right to one, and was still considering a plea. That same year she allowed unauthenticated medical records to be admitted as evidence in a domestic-violence case. And last year, in another drug case, a defendant was linked to the crime only because Saffold permitted the testimony of a detective who spoke for his alleged accomplice. All three convictions, of course, were reversed. "She has her own mind," says Robinalt. "Lawyers think she can be arbitrary." Sutula's racked up 29 reversals. "She has a temper," says Robinalt, "and that interferes with fairness." Just last month, over repeated objections from the lawyer of a man on trial for assault, she allowed prosecutors to grill the man for details of a previous similar conviction. The case is going back for a new trial. Though he defends Sutula's work ethic, PD editorial-page chief Brent Larkin concedes her temperament. "Does she perhaps need a personality transplant? Yes." He admits neither was an easy pick, especially since Saffold is being challenged by Republican Mike Blumenthal, who has no criminal experience. Still, it could have been worse. Even after all five bar associations dissed Democratic candidate Christine Russo, and Larkin called her "an unqualified candidate with a ton of baggage," Russo won endorsement from The Call & Post. "We are horrified by that," says Robenalt. -- Jason Nedley
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I don't get it. Didn't Plain Dealer endorse Saffold? Saffold clearly doesn't belong on the bench, her temper tantrums and outright bias towards certain defendants precludes any claim of impartiality. The public would be best served with her gone. And what is this with her bailiff Larry Wallace acting as a judge, signing orders which she admits she doesn't even know about? Saffold doesn't even have control of her own court. She should not be reelected.

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Posted by Martha Mitchell on 10/31/2006 at 10:32 AM

both Judges has tempers that is not good in criminal or civil cases. One of the is connected to organized crime Kathleen A. Stula,Judy Bayer, Carl Bayer, Ste0phaine Tubbs Jones,

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Posted by John Doe on 12/07/2006 at 8:50 PM

The following Judges are connected to organized crime, see Carl Bayer, Judy Bayer, J.L. Wright, Stephaine Tubbs Jones, Louis Stokes, Gloria Towers, Sarah Harper, Patricia Ann Blackmond, All of them got monies from Carl Bayer, carnival owner listen to telephone calls ask any cleveland police detective who can trace down telephone cnversation even the cuyhoga county sheriff dept can do the samething. Dorothy Cheeks, Ann White, see case No. CR351072 CR 355853 about a fraudlent search warrant issed by Northrandall, Ohio police, which was not signed by a Judge of the Court of Common pleas, Which should have been issued by a Judge of Bedford Court, but it is still moot to come into the city of cleveland to serve or execute. The villiage of Northrandall tryed to stop " Cleveland Juvenile Justice And Delinquency prevention Center from operating a federal non profit corporation see records in the office of the secretary state in Columbus, Ohio. Articles of Incorporation No. 608274, also see 28 u.s.c. 1349, and 501 (C)(1), 501 (C)(3), no political activity for tax exemption status. There is no such thing as a ward club, there is no such tax status for any political activity involved. No councilman past or present can place there names nor can they be involved in any non profit corporation.

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Posted by John Doe on 12/07/2006 at 9:07 PM

Judge Saffold is a great judge, your indications about her work ethic are totally false and untrue. Her reversals are within the line of all the other judges on the bench, and Robenault ought to indiate what his real agendda is. Can't hide behind that hood all his life. I don't understand why your magazine continues to express hostility toward her and other females on the bench, is this simply a female hating thing. get over it.

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Posted by beth mcdavid on 05/16/2007 at 7:49 AM
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