An attorney and part-time judge in northern Indiana is facing disciplinary charges after allegations that she had sexual relations at a state prison with a client.
The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed three disciplinary charges against Lisa Traylor-Wolff, a senior judge serving in Pulaski and Fulton counties. Senior judges, such as Traylor-Wolff, work part-time to fill in for trial court judges and also may practice law.
The charges stem from an alleged “physically intimate relationship with a 26-year-old client” who Traylor-Wolff had been appointed to represent, according to a statement issued today by the Indiana Supreme Court.
She declined comment.
The allegation would be a violation of the Code of Conduct that applies to all judges. The commission is the seven-member group that investigates alleged ethical misconduct by judges.
According to the court statement, Traylor-Wolff was representing the defendant on felony charges.
“The defendant was eventually convicted and sentenced to the Department of Correction. Traylor-Wolff continued representing the client on appeal,” the statement says. “The commission alleges she began a romantic relationship with the client while representing him. The commission also alleges inappropriate conduct occurred when Traylor-Wolff and the client were in an attorney-client visitation room at the Miami Correctional Facility.”
More at the IndyStar.