Lisa Traylor-Wolff, Prestigious Indiana Judge Accused of Inappropriate Sexual Relations with Young Prisoner in Interview Room, Faces Disciplinary Action

Reports confirm that Lisa Traylor-Wolff, a prestigious judge and defense lawyer from Indiana, currently faces professional misconduct charges after carrying out an inappropriate sexual relationship with a young prisoner whom she worked with. The 52-year-old former Superior Court judge allegedly had sex with a 26-year-old client, and continued the inappropriate relationship even after the criminal was placed behind bars. Traylor-Wolff currently faces disciplinary actions from the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications after being caught having intercourse with the young inmate in a prison interview room.

According to the San Francisco Chronicle, Traylor-Wolff was appointed public defender for an unnamed 26-year-old accused of burglary, robbery, and felony confinement on September 6, 2011. The two allegedly developed a romantic relationship in May 2012. Even after the young man was sentenced to 30 years in prison, Traylor-Wolff continued to see him romantically. She also continued to represent him professionally in a process of appeal.

Eventually, the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications ruled that Traylor-Wolff behaved unprofessionally and jeopardized her legal responsibilities when she recently met with the young inmate in an attorney-client interview room at the Miami Correctional Facility in Peru, Indiana. Following the allegations, the senior judge in two northern Indiana counties and former
head of her county's bar associated did not request for her judgeship to be renewed in 2013.

If found guilty of misconduct, Traylor-Wolff could be stripped of her legal credentials and ultimately banned from holding any future judicial office in the state of Indiana. If the case makes it all the way to the Indiana Supreme Court, Traylor-Wolff can contest the charges. She has 20 days to file a response before the investigation proceeds.

Traylor-Wolff was formally accused of violating four rules of professional conduct, including: restrictions that prohibits a lawyer from having sexual relations with a client, prohibits a lawyer from representing a client if there is a significant risk that the representation will be materially limited by a personal interest of the lawyer, and requires a judge to promote confidence in the integrity of the judiciary and to avoid impropriety. The former Pulaski County Superior Court judge is also accused of undermining the independence integrity and impartiality as a judge.