Sorry to see you go.
A controversial junior judge made a surprise move earlier in the week in a case I've been covering in Ohio.
The junior judge who gave sole custody to a suspected rapist in Ohio has decided to run for the hills.
Magistrate Caitlin Nevin made a haphazard and dangerous decision in an Ohio case between David Katschalk and Amanda Morris last year.
Nevin granted Katschalk sole custody even though he was being investigated in two jurisdictions for raping Amanda.
All hell seemed to break loose shortly after I wrote my initial story. The guardian ad litem, David Bartos, who was on board with this decision filed a motion to seal the case.
The poorly written motion cited no case law, skipped addressing the violation of the first amendment his motion would bring, and was little more than Mr. Bartos stomping his feet and demanding the case be sealed because my coverage had made him look bad.
The magistrate- or junior judge- has been making life altering decisions in the case because Ohio allows magistrates like Nevin to have way too much power. She was scheduled to hear Mr. Bartos’ motion on Tuesday January 17, 2023. Instead, she recused herself.
This was rather embarrassing since judges would rather run around naked around the courthouse than remove themselves from cases. In this situation, it’s even worse since no one had asked her; she removed herself on her own volition.
The rule she cited-Rule 2.11(A) means she is admitting to bias.
Suffice to say, this is probably not going to help Magistrate Nevin’s career.
The case now moves to where it should have been all along: to a real judge.
The case will now be presided over by Judge Anne McDonough.
Magistrate Nevin did note in her order, “All prior orders remain in effect.”
As such, the suspected rapist continues to have sole custody.
Poor child, still in the hands of a suspected rapist.