Alabama district judge suspended and accused of letting child abuse cases ‘languish,’ complaint says

OZARK, Ala. (AP) — An Alabama district judge who presides over cases in juvenile court, often involving child abuse or neglect, has been suspended after a state-led investigation that looked at hundreds of cases and took over a year to complete.

The Alabama Judicial Inquiry Commission, a panel that investigates ethics accusations against judges, filed a complaint with the Court of the Judiciary against Dale County District Judge Stuart Smith on Monday, alleging that Smith was “not effectively maintaining his docket and allowing cases that are assigned to him to languish without action, in some instances for years.”

In addition to small claims, child support and civil court cases, Smith was also assigned juvenile court cases that involved abuse, neglect or parents attempting to reunite with their children. When the investigation began in May 2023, Smith had over 300 cases on his docket. The investigation considered cases going back to Smith’s first term which began in 2017.

Smith did not respond to emails or phone calls requesting comment.

The complaint describes one case where the Dale County Department of Human Resources, responsible for handling child welfare, filed for custody of a 6-year-old due to allegations of sexual abuse and drug use. Smith waited 18 months to take action and never appointed a legally mandated court guardian to advocate for the child in proceedings, the complaint alleges.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«RELATED COVERAGE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> RELATED COVERAGE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Pick-Six: Freshmen still