Judge Repp suspended for 1 year

Almost a year after a formal complaint was filed against Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court Judge Mark E. Repp, the Ohio Supreme Court has decided to suspend Repp from judicial office without pay for one year.In March 2020, Repp held a court spectator in contempt of court for refusing to take a drug test, despite the fact that she made no disturbance in the courtroom and had no case pending, was not on probation and had never been charged with or convicted of a drug-related offense, documents related to the case state.When Alexzandria Orta, the spectator, refused to take the test, Repp sentenced her to 10 days in the Seneca County Jail. Orta was released the next day after her attorney, Dean Henry, and Seneca County Prosecuting Attorney Derek DeVine questioned Repp's legal authority to hold a spectator in contempt.Later, the Third District Court of Appeals found that Repp was indeed "without the authority to compel Orta to submit to a drug test," let alone sentence her to jail, according to court records.Orta wasn't the only victim cited in the disciplinary case — her boyfriend, Trevor Danner, also became a target of the judge. Repp was recorded saying "I hate to saddle the Seneca County Jail with you, Trev," among other things.Disciplinary Counsel Joseph Caligiuri filed the complaint on Dec. 2, 2020. The first formal hearing took place in April 2021, and the Board of Professional Conduct filed their recommendation to the Supreme Court in June. The case was submitted to the Supreme Court in July with 45 stipulated exhibits.The disciplinary counsel alleged that Repp had committed four ethical violations: acting in an undignified, improper and discourteous way towards both Danner and Orta; ordering Orta to submit a drug test; finding Orta in contempt of court; and sentencing her to jail time for refusal to submit.Repp has been the sole judge of the Tiffin-Fostoria Municipal Court since 2013, and was the judge of the Tiffin Municipal Court before that since 2002. The court found that he violated one section of the Ohio Rules of Professional Conduct and three sections of the Ohio Code of Judicial Conduct in the 2020 incident.Before the case came before the state Supreme Court, a three-person panel from the Board of Professional Conduct recommended a one-year suspension with six months stayed on the condition that Repp engage in no further misconduct. Instead, the board itself recommended one year with no stay, effective immediately. The Supreme Court agreed with the latter.In the slip opinion for the case, the judges wrote, "Repp acted with a selfish or dishonest motive, he committed multiple offenses, and he caused harm to two vulnerable victims."The Supreme Court will now be tasked with appointing a judge or judges to Repp's seat in the municipal court while he is suspended from the practice of law and judicial office. Additionally, Repp must pay the cost of the court proceedings for this case.