State representative calls for Hamilton County judge to resign over alleged comments on Charlie Kirk's death

CINCINNATI — A state representative is calling for the resignation of a Hamilton County Municipal Court judge after he allegedly made comments about Charlie Kirk's death on social media.

State Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) said Judge Ted Berry celebrated Kirk's death with "vitriolic, racially charged and political language." A screenshot shared on social media claims Berry said "Rest in Hatred & Division" and "How's he feel about gun violence & gun control in Hell, now?" in regards to Kirk being shot and killed earlier this week.

"This is not the conduct of a neutral arbiter of the law; it is the behavior of a political activist who has abandoned the core principles of his office," Mathews said in a press release calling for Berry's resignation.

Mathews says the comments break the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct, which mandates that a judge "shall act at all times in a manner that promotes public confidence in the independence, integrity, and impartiality of the judiciary."

"Should Judge Berry choose not to resign, I am prepared to file a formal grievance with the Supreme Court of Ohio's Office of Disciplinary Counsel or take other actions towards removal to ensure that the integrity of our judiciary is protected,” Mathews said. “The people of Ohio deserve a judiciary they can trust to be fair, unbiased, and beyond reproach. Judge Berry's actions have fallen far short of that sacred trust."

Berry was previously listed as an advisory board member on The Joe Burrow Foundation's website. In a statement Friday night, the foundation said it has terminated a board member who "made inappropriate remarks in light of recent events and they are no longer associated with the Foundation. Their comments do not reflect our values or our mission."