Thirteenth Judicial District - Morgan County Court Judge
Honorable Michael J. Schingle
Retention Year: 2010
Recommendation: Retain
Reports:
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The Thirteenth Judicial District Commission on Judicial Performance unanimously recommends that Judge Michael J. Schingle BE RETAINED.
Judge Schingle has been a member of the Sunrise Optimist Club since 1981. He believes that community involvement is essential to the judge’s role. Judge Schingle is also involved in the legal community, and has served as President of both the Morgan County local bar association and the Thirteenth Judicial District Bar Association.
Judge Schingle was appointed to the Morgan County Court bench on July 1, 2000. He is a full-time judge and presides over civil, traffic and misdemeanor cases. As the only county court judge in Morgan County, Judge Schingle is responsible for more than 5,000 cases per year. Before taking the bench, Judge Schingle was a private attorney in general practice with an emphasis in criminal litigation.
A total of 232 questionnaires regarding Judge Shingle’s performance were returned with both attorney and non-attorney responses. Survey respondents gave Judge Schingle above-average ratings for all measured areas including: demeanor, fairness, communications, diligence, and application of law. They praised his ability to show impartiality, and treating people with dignity and respect. Attorneys ranked Judge Schingle highest in regards to his case management, while non-attorneys ranked him highest in communication. Judge Schingle is currently handling a case load of approximately 120% of expected cases, which means that his docket is very difficult to handle. Judge Schingle told the Commission that he is always looking for ways to make his docket more efficient, which is especially important given the high volume of cases.
Of all attorneys surveyed about retention, 93% recommended to retain, 4% not to retain, and 4% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 97% recommended to retain and 4% not to retain. Of all non-attorneys surveyed, 88% recommended to retain, 7% not to retain, and 5% expressed no opinion. Excluding those who had no opinion, 95% recommended to retain and 5% not to retain. (These percentages may not total 100% due to rounding.)