The Ohio Supreme Court has ordered the immediate removal of longtime judge Kim Hoover from office.
The court announced Tuesday that Hoover also has been suspended from practicing law for 18 months, with six months stayed, in connection with accusations against the longtime judge in the way he collected court fines and fees.
In February 2023, the court’s Board of Professional Conduct recommended that Hoover be immediately barred from practicing law and suspended from his office without pay for two years. The board’s recommendation followed an investigation and September 2022 hearings after a series of complaints filed starting in December 2021 claiming that Hoover was using illegal and coercive tactics to recover court-ordered fees from defendants.
Hoover appealed this sentence, with oral arguments taking place on May 17, 2023, nearly 1½ years ago. He had remained on the bench pending the outcome. Hoover would have been ineligible to run for judge again in 2025, when his term was to expire, because he turned 70 this year.