Legal Commentary

Judge Scofflaw

By Jonathan H. Adler

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports on a judge that seems to have some trouble obeying the law and paying her fines.

Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold has not paid more than $1,000 in fines and late fees for city of Cleveland traffic and parking tickets issued since 2006, records show.

She owes Cleveland $1,040 in fines and late fees for seven camera-issued tickets and one parking ticket, Cleveland Municipal Court Clerk records show. She has so many unpaid fines that police say they could tow her car to an impound lot if they spot it on the street. . . .

Saffold has received three collection notices for each of the seven tickets issued for her car. She would have owed $700 for the tickets if she had paid them on time. Saffold made two partial payments, in November and January, on tickets from 2006 and 2008, records show.

Late Friday, Saffold?s attorney, Brian Spitz, issued a statement, saying: ?Shirley Saffold was cited as a result of automated pictures of her car going through red lights. She is on a payment plan and will provide proof of prior payments if the Plain Dealer would like to do a full and fair investigation. As this story is not newsworthy and investigates only one public official?s traffic record, it is, in my opinion, yet another vindictive, petty story by the Plain Dealer.?

Obie Shelton, spokesman for the clerk?s office, said Friday that the office does offer a payment plan, but he said Saffold is not on it. He said her two partial payments were not part of a payment plan.

This is the same Judge Saffold who?s been in the news of late for her on and is suing the Plain Dealer for its coverage of her conduct.

Full post as published by The Volokh Conspiracy on May 09, 2010 (boomark / email).