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Court dismisses remaining Tracie Hunter charges

Posted at 7:52 AM, Jan 19, 2016
and last updated 2016-01-20 02:55:43-05

CINCINNATI -- The remaining eight charges against former judge Tracie Hunter were dismissed Tuesday morning.

Hunter, accused of ethical violations, ended her first trial with one conviction and jury deadlock on the other eight charges. 

The Cincinnati NAACP sent out a statement Monday night in support of Hunter, saying the "relentless pursuit of Judge Hunter is a waste of taxpayer dollars and an abuse of power." 

She lost the appellate case on her sole conviction last Friday and will face six months in prison.

A jury convicted Hunter on one count of unlawful interest in a public contract in October 2014, for helping her brother, a county employee, in a disciplinary hearing.

In the decision, Judge Russell Mock said Hunter’s conviction was based on “sufficient evidence” and that “the trial court properly denied her motion for an acquittal.”

In her appeal, Hunter also charged that the prosecution’s commentary during rebuttal closing arguments deprived her of a fair trial. The appeals court also ruled this was not the case.

In August 2015, Hunter filed a federal lawsuit claiming county leaders and attorneys violated her civil rights. Defendants in that case include Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters, Juvenile Court Judge John Williams, Municipal Court Judge Curt Kissinger, Court of Appeals judges, retired Judge Norbert Nadel and a list of court administrators and attorneys.