Environmental Court Judge Stephanie Mingo at the HBA

Franklin County Environmental Judge Stephanie Mingo was the speaker at the April 10 meeting of the HBA. Judge Mingo described the many types of issues she must deal with in her courtroom, including building code violations, illegal dumping and animal abuse. She often handles over 100 cases a day in her courtroom. The Judge explained that she can rule only on cases brought to her courtroom by the prosecuting attorneys, who have the discretion to determine what cases get filed. She also talked about the relation between drug houses and code violations and the need to follow up on these issues. Judge Mingo spoke for nearly an hour and provided much useful information. Her visit was greatly appreciated."