After wrongfully abusing her power as a judge, this woman was forced to stand trial for her actions. Little did everyone expect, however, that once her sentence was announced her entire family would erupt in rage, causing the former judge to be dragged out of the courtroom.
When it comes to the law, no matter how much power and authority someone may have, there must be a certain level of respect for the justice system in order to ensure that justice is served. This was especially true for former Ohio juvenile court judge Tracie Hunter, who used her position of authority to help her brother blackmail an underage victim.
After being charged with eight other offenses, such as leaking confidential information and having an unlawful interest in a public contract, Judge Patrick Dinkelacker ultimately upheld Hunter’s conviction and sentenced her to six months behind bars.
Judge Dinkelacker revealed that he had received dozens of letters from anonymous senders demanding that Hunter be acquitted of her crimes, some even threatened him if he did not do so.
Despite this pressure, Dinkelacker stood firm in his decision and refused to be intimidated away from upholding justice. He explained that while people are welcome to disagree with decisions made by the court, they cannot threaten anyone or use intimidation tactics to try and influence the outcome.
Bishop Bobby Hilton, president of the Greater Cincinnati Chapter of National Action Network (NAN), attempted to make the court’s decision about race rather than justice. He claimed that “blacks are not respected” in Hamilton County and suggested white people were targeting “our people.”
As a result, protests erupted both outside the courtroom as well as inside its chambers as supporters wore shirts reading “Justice for Judge Tracie M. Hunter” and carried signs stating “Hamilton will not silence me!”
A woman was even arrested after she charged toward Hunter when she rose from her chair in attempt to escort her out – demonstrating the ridiculousness of those trying force their own narrative instead of accepting what was justly decided upon by Dinkelacker.
With great power comes great responsibility, therefore individuals with authoritative positions must hold themselves accountable should they fail to uphold it honorably.
