The Ohio Supreme Court has suspended Cuyahoga County Court of Common Pleas Judge Daniel Gaul, ending his career as a judge.
Gaul鈥檚 one-year suspension will last until the end of his current term. Gaul has reached the age limit of 70 for judges in Ohio and is ineligible to run again.
In a unanimous decision, the Ohio Supreme Court found Gaul had committed 鈥渆gregious鈥� violations of judicial rules of conduct.
The violations cover eight separate incidents, according
to the decision.
In one, referred to in court documents as 鈥淭he Heard Matter,鈥� Gaul told a defendant, Carleton Heard, in 2015 that if he pleaded 鈥渘o contest鈥� to charges including attempted murder, he would receive a 14-year sentence. If he went to trial and was convicted, Gaul told Heard he鈥檇 be sentenced to up to 42 years.
鈥淕aul did not merely encourage settlement of the case 鈥� he initiated the settlement, dictated its terms, and repeatedly told Heard what would happen (imposition of a lengthier prison sentence) if he were to go to trial and be convicted of the charged offenses,鈥� the justices wrote in their opinion. 鈥淗e also threatened to impose a trial tax by clarifying that Heard would be given a much lengthier aggregate sentence if he were to exercise his right to a jury trial.鈥�
In another 2016 case, referred to as 鈥淭he Callahan Matter,鈥� Gaul referred to defendant Demagio Callahan as a 鈥渂rother,鈥� and a 鈥渕urderer,鈥� because Callahan is Black and had, according to Gaul, 鈥渂eat the rap鈥� in an earlier case where Callahan was charged with murder and acquitted.
The justices wrote that Gaul鈥檚 language 鈥渋ndicated a lack of impartiality that should have compelled Gaul to disqualify himself from the matter.鈥�
The justices found a total of 29 violations spanning eight separate incidents in his courtroom occurring between 2014 and 2021.
In his responses, Gaul acknowledged going too far in certain cases but also defended his actions during a hearing at the Supreme Court, saying his conduct in most cases did not rise to the level of a violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct.
During his disciplinary hearing, Gaul acknowledged getting 鈥渢oo involved鈥� in the plea of a defendant in 鈥淭he Heard Matter,鈥� but insisted he was not biased.
鈥淚 think that, at times, one can say too much, and I did in this instance, and I regret it,鈥� Gaul said. 鈥淎nd I understand it鈥檚 unacceptable because it鈥檚 giving you the impression that I鈥檓 biased and was forcing this guy in a plea. And that鈥檚 not what my life is about. That鈥檚 not what my job is about. That鈥檚 not what the [character witness] letters tell you about. So I deeply regret leaving you or anybody with that assumption or inference.鈥�
He had asked the court to spare him the year suspension originally recommended by the Board of Professional Conduct, which conducted the initial investigation.
Gaul began serving as a common pleas judge in 1991 after working in private practice for 10 years. He was the subject of a 2010 disciplinary proceeding and received a six-month stayed suspension after he threatened to jail a defendant he accused of intimidating a witness.
