J U V E N I L E

J U S T I C E

A D V O C A T E S

CINCINNATI PRESS RELEASE

April 9, 2015

T O

T H E

H ON ORAB LE

C H I E F

JUS T I C E

M AURE EN

O C ON N OR

On April 2, 2015, the Supreme Court of Ohio, Chief Justice Maureen OConnor requested that Judge
Dinkelacker of the Hamilton County Common Pleas Court submit a written response to an affidavit which
has been filed seeking his disqualification from specific-referenced cases involving the Honorable Judge
Tracie M. Hunter. R.C. 2701.03.

On April 7, 2015, Judge Dinkelacker wrote a very disrespectful letter to the Ohio Supreme Court, in which
he refused to acknowledge Judge Tracie Hunter as judge and he even incorrectly claimed that she was
not a Common Pleas Judge. It is apparent Judge Dinkelacker is not well versed with the law. Juvenile
Court Judges in the State of Ohio are Common Pleas Judges, Juvenile Division, just like probate judges
are Common Pleas Judges, Probate Division. Dinkelacker is Common Pleas Judge, General Division. Judge
Hunters authority comes from the Ohio Constitution and is no different than Dinkelacker.

(A) As used in the Revised Code:

(1) "Juvenile court" means whichever of the following is applicable that has jurisdiction under this
chapter and Chapter 2152. of the Revised Code:
(a) The division of the court of common pleas specified in section 2101.022 or 2301.03 of the
Revised Code as having jurisdiction under this chapter and Chapter 2152. of the Revised Code or
as being the juvenile division or the juvenile division combined with one or more other divisions;
(b) The juvenile court of Cuyahoga county or Hamilton county that is separately and independently
created by section 2151.08 or Chapter 2153. of the Revised Code and that has jurisdiction under
this chapter and Chapter 2152. of the Revised Code;
(c) If division (A)(1)(a) or (b) of this section does not apply, the probate division of the court of
common pleas.
(2) "Juvenile judge" means a judge of a court having jurisdiction under this chapter.
The fact that he does not see her as his peer demonstrates his racial and political biases. For those reasons
alone, he should be disqualified from presiding over Judge Hunter's trial.
Any judge that does not know the law and blatantly disrespects another judge on the same court in the
same county in contradiction to the Ohio Revised Code, Rules of Superintendence for the Courts and the
Code of Judicial Conduct does not deserve to be a judge and most certainly does not deserve to stand in
judgment of another peer judge. Furthermore, he should know that Judge Hunter while suspended, based
on the Ohio Constitution, remains the current elected judge of the Hamilton County Juvenile Court.
Judge Dinkelacker should be disciplined for showing such unprofessionalism and blatant disrespect for
the first African-American Judge of the Hamilton County Juvenile Court.

SINCERELY,
JUVENILE JUSTICE ADVOCATES

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