Hancock County judge admonished for unbecoming, injudicious comments

GREENFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — A Hancock County Superior Court judge is being publicly admonished after making inappropriate comments in public view during an investigation concerning his son in June 2022.

Judge DJ Davis of Hancock Superior Court I violated the Code of Judicial Conduct through his injudicious comments, an admonition released Monday by the Indiana Commission of Judicial Qualifications says.

The code of conduct asks judges to act at all times in ways that promote public confidence in the judiciary and avoid impropriety.

In June 2022, Greenfield police were sent to the residence of Davis’ son to supervise the removal of personal property from the son’s wife.

Davis later arrived at the scene after his wife called and asked for his presence. While Davis interacted with police, he did not interfere with their duties.

The release says though that Davis responded to comments made by a third party who made comments regarding his son’s marriage, using expletives in a public area where people could overhear.

Davis’ comments were also caught on officers’ body cameras.

The admonition says Davis took full responsibility for his actions, stating his judgment was affected by medication prescribed for back surgery recovery.

The admonition also says that Davis cooperated fully regarding the incident. Davis will not face formal charges and will not be charged with ethical misconduct.