Kenton County District Court Judge Ann Ruttle will be suspended for two weeks without pay in May after the Judicial Conduct Commission found she denied appointment of council to a defendant in 2021 who couldn’t afford one in a criminal case, according to court records.
It’s the second time she has been found to violate rules in Kentucky’s Code of Judicial Conduct that require those accused of crimes have an attorney to represent them. She was also suspended in April of 2021, according to court documents.
“A review of felony arraignments reveals this is not an isolated incident,” said the March 1, 2023 order of suspension.
Records from her 2021 suspension say Ruttle “required defendants in criminal trials to file written demands for jury trials; made comments directed to attorneys with the Department of Public Advocacy that were not patient, dignified and courteous; and in a proceeding with an unrepresented defendant, suggested entering into a plea agreement by the defendant that could reasonably be perceived as coercive.”
Ruttle’s unpaid suspension is scheduled from May 5 to May 18, 2023. She was told not to use her judicial office, her secure courthouse access pass, or any other passes, keys or credentials during that time.