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Monday, April 23, 2007
Ind. Courts - "Lawyers give Hammond judge unfavorable rating"
Bill Dolan of the NWI Times reported Friday:
Lake County lawyers delivered a rebuke this week to Hammond City Judge Jeffrey Harkin as he competes for votes in a re-election bid.A Lake County Bar Association survey of judicial candidates in the May 8 primary election gave Harkin its lowest overall appraisal while giving higher marks to his challenger, Hammond attorney James Foster. Both Harkin and Foster are Democrats.
The survey, which represents the opinion of 231 lawyers practicing in municipal courts, rated eight other municipal judges who are unopposed in the spring primary as qualified to hold office. * * *
The two-term judge made it clear Thursday he holds the survey in contempt.
"To get a low rating from the criminal defense bar means I'm doing a good job," Harkin said. "I have been endorsed by the Fraternal Order of Police, the Hammond Firefighters Political Action Committee and the Hammond Democratic precinct organization."
Foster said he was gratified by the favorable results. He said lawyers probably were critical of Harkin for wasting tens of thousands of dollars to create a court specializing in drug offenses that lacked federal approval and never got off the ground.
Posted by Marcia Oddi on April 23, 2007 08:03 AM
Posted to Indiana Courts