Judge who steered clients to attorney keeps job -- but gets suspension, censure

The justices said they were troubled by "Blakely's ... lack of insight into his misconduct."

By SARAH LEMAGIE, Star Tribune

Last update: September 17, 2009 - 11:59 PM

A south-metro judge who steered clients to his divorce attorney and got a deep discount on his bill will be suspended without pay for six months, the Minnesota Supreme Court has ruled.

The court also censured First District Judge Timothy Blakely in an opinion, issued Thursday, that stopped short of removing him from office, the penalty that the Minnesota Board on Judicial Standards had recommended.

The course of events that led to the sanctions was "extremely disturbing," the Supreme Court wrote, adding, "We also are troubled greatly by Judge Blakely's continued lack of insight into his misconduct." But both the judge and divorce attorney Christine Stroemer denied -- and the board could not prove -- that the two had an actual "quid pro quo" deal, the court wrote.

Blakely, who had asked for no worse than censure, was not available for comment Thursday because he was dealing with a family emergency, said Thomas Kelly, an attorney who represented the judge in the matter of the misconduct. "He was a hard-working, intelligent, fair-minded judge before he made this mistake," Kelly said. "He has no other history of misconduct, and I'm confident that he'll return to the bench prepared to resume his duties in an impartial and judicial manner."

Some experts do not share that confidence, including Neil Hamilton, a law professor and director of the Thomas Holloran Center for Ethical Leadership in the Professions at the University of St. Thomas.

"The situation indicates such extremely poor judgment that it certainly leads a person to question his judgment on the bench," said Hamilton, adding that it's unlikely the judge will regain the public's trust before his term expires in January 2011.

Blakely, 46, was first elected to the bench in 1998 and has chambers in Goodhue County, but has heard many cases in Dakota County. The First Judicial District also includes McLeod, Carver, Scott, Sibley and Le Sueur counties. He has been suspended with pay since May.

The misconduct centers on a $64,000 discount that Blakely received from his divorce lawyer, to whom he sent 17 clients from his courtroom for mediation or related services over the course of four years. He did not tell clients that Stroemer was his attorney and that he owed her firm a lot of money.

Stroemer remains under investigation by the Minnesota Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility. That agency had been waiting for Thursday's ruling before deciding whether to seek discipline of Stroemer, a decision that will be made within the next two months, said director Martin Cole.

The judge's actions were scrutinized after his ex-wife filed a complaint in March 2007 with the Board on Judicial Standards, claiming he got special treatment from his divorce attorney's firm.

Staff writer Joy Powell contributed to this report. Sarah Lemagie • 952-882-9016