(Indianapolis, IN) – The Indiana Supreme Court has publicly reprimanded and permanently banned former Franklin Circuit Court Judge J. Steven Cox from judicial service.
This comes after Special Masters recommended action last November on the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualification filing of three counts of misconduct against Cox.
He was accused of improper communication with defendant Gregory Guilfoyle at the man’s home without attorneys present; investigating facts in a case independently; and maintaining a policy of rejecting all negotiated written plea agreements and not treating each case on its own merit.
Guilfoyle was found guilty but mentally ill in the December 2022 shooting and wounding his wife and firing at a Franklin County Sheriff’s deputy. He is serving an 80-year prison sentence.
Calling Cox’s actions “egregious misconduct,” the justices ruled that he will no longer be eligible for judicial service, including as a judge pro tempore or senior judge.
Cox served as Franklin Circuit Judge for 18 years, but was defeated in the May 2024 Republican Primary by current judge Alex Dudley, who ran unopposed in the November 2024 General Election.
Click here to read the Indiana Supreme Court’s disciplinary opinion.
