CINCINNATI -- Suspended juvenile court judge Tracie Hunter, who Oct. 5 regained her right to vote, filed a new federal lawsuit against the Hamilton County Board of Elections Tuesday. In the new suit, Hunter claims she has been illegally barred from running for re-election as a judge.
Hunter was convicted of judicial misconduct, a felony offense, in 2014 for helping her brother in a disciplinary hearing, but remained free thanks to a stay of sentence issued by Federal Judge Timothy Black. She has since battled Hamilton County authorities at many turns, accused them of violating her civil rights and maintained the belief that the charges against her will eventually be refuted.
"And at some particular point after this case is reviewed, I have no doubt that if the law is followed, that the bogus conviction is going to be overturned, and so I should not be denied the opportunity to run for the seat that I currently hold as a Hamilton County juvenile court judge," she said in September, when the Board of Elections unanimously ruled that she was ineligible to run for re-election as a write-in candidate.
Tuesday's suit claims that Hunter's candidacy was unfairly dismissed by the board. It demands that federal authorities grant her a temporary restraining order against its members and award her damages and attorney's fees as compensation.
