Hello welcome to this JACPA Ethics Alert which will discuss the Pennsylvania Dis trict Judge who

was recently arrested on felony criminal charges and placed on p aid administrative leave from the bench for allegedly dismissing her own traffic tickets.

According to media reports, the criminal charges result from Distric t Judge Kelly S. Ballentine's dismissal last year of three tickets issued to her by a city police officer, according to a charging affidavit. The judge preside d over part of the City of Lancaster, Pennsylvania. She was arrested and arraig ned on February 27, 2012 and released on $25,000 unsecured bail. The judge, who is also a lawyer, was elected as district judge in 2006.

The judge was charged with dismissing three tickets issued to her by police, two of which were for parking illegally and another was for an expired vehicle registration. She allegedly dismissed a parking ticket and the expired registration citation in December 2010 and another parking ticket in January 201 1. The total fine for the three tickets was $268.50, which was never paid. The handwriting which directed the tickets to be dismissed was the judge s, according t o the charging affidavit.

After an investigation, the Pennsylvania Attorney General s Office filed twelve criminal charges, including six felonies. The charges include six count s of tampering with public records, three counts of restricted activities due to a conflict of interest and three counts of obstruction of the administration of law. According to media reports, the chief judge is quoted as saying (a)t this ti me, I have issued an order that (the judge) be placed on indefinite administrati ve leave from her duties as district judge

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court will ultimately decide whether the ju dge will be removed from the bench or receive other disciplinary action as a jud ge. Since she is a lawyer, she will also most likely be subject to future disci plinary proceedings for potential violations of Pennsylvania Bar Rules (which in Florida are initiated after the lawyer is no longer a judge since judges are co nstitutional offices).

Bottom line: This judge will not only face the criminal charges for the alleged ticket fixing but she will also face potential removal from the benc h or other sanctions as well as disciplinary action related to her license to pr actice law all apparently for $268.00 in traffic fines.

Be careful out there!

As always, if you have any questions about this Ethics Alert or need assistance, analysis, and guidance regarding these or any other ethics, risk ma nagement, or other issues, please do not hesitate to contact me.

THE LAW OFFICE OF JOSEPH A. CORSMEIER, P.A. PROVIDES ETHICS ADVICE AND EXPERT OPINIONS TO LAWYERS AND LAW FIRMS DEFENDS LAWYERS IN BAR MISSION AND DISCIPLINE CASES (AND MUCH MORE!) My law firm focuses on review, analysis, and interpretation of the Rules Regulat ing The Florida Bar, advice and representation of lawyers in Bar disciplinary ma tters, defense of applicants for admission to The Florida Bar before the Board o f Bar Examiners, defense of all Florida licensed professionals in discipline and admission matters before all state agencies and boards, expert ethics opinions, and practice management for lawyers and law firms. If there is a lawyer or oth er Florida professional license involved, I can defend the complaint or help you get your license. If you have any questions or comments, please call me at (727) 799-1688 or e-mai l me at jcorsmeier@jac-law.com. You can find my law firm on the web at www.jaclaw.com. In addition to handling individual cases, matters, problems and issues for my clients, I also am on retainer to provide ethics advice to numerous lawye rs and law firms throughout the state of Florida. I also provide legal assistan ce and advice to numerous individuals and non-legal entities to help insure comp liance with the law and rules related to UPL and other issues. You are receiving this ETHICS ALERT since you are a current or former client or you have requested that this Update be sent to you. Please note that you may op t in or out of receiving this ETHICS ALERT any time. If you would like to disco ntinue receipt of this ETHICS ALERT or if you would like to begin receiving it, simply send me an e-mail to me advising of your request. If there are others at your firm who would like to be included on the distributi on list, please feel free to forward this update to them or let us know in an em ail. If you would like to forward this Ethics Alert to any person or entity ple ase feel free do so as long as it is not for personal gain and you forward the e ntire email, including all contact information and disclaimers. Disclaimer: this e-mail does not contain any legal advice and the comments here in should not be relied upon by anyone who reads it. Joseph A. Corsmeier, Esquire Law Office of Joseph A. Corsmeier, P.A. 2454 McMullen Booth Road, Suite 431 Clearwater, Florida 33759 Office (727) 799-1688 Fax (727) 799-1670

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