Porter County Judge Christopher Buckley files response to state misconduct charges over his August OWI arrest

PORTER COUNTY, Ind. Porter Superior Court 4 Judge Christopher A. Buckley has filed a response to the judicial misconduct charges that accuse him of operating a vehicle while intoxicated and of referring to his judicial status to try to win leniency from the officers investigating him, the Indiana Supreme Court's docket shows.

The docket entry, dated Monday, Nov. 9, lists a "Response to Notice of the Institution of Formal Proceedings and Statement of Charges" with a postmark of Nov. 5. The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed those charges Oct. 16 and asked the Supreme Court to appoint three masters to hold a public hearing once Buckley answered.

The filing is the next step in a case in which the commission, which investigates judges' ethics, is asking the state's highest court to find that a sitting Porter County judge broke the Code of Judicial Conduct. The Supreme Court has final say, and it can dismiss the charges, accept or reject an agreement between the commission and Buckley, appoint a panel of judges to conduct a public hearing, impose a fine, or impose sanctions from a reprimand to suspension or a permanent ban on holding judicial office, the court system said when the charges were filed.

What the commission alleges

According to the statement of charges, a Michigan City police captain working off-duty security at the Live at the Lakefront concert in Michigan City on Aug. 15 saw Buckley drive and park a black Lincoln Navigator in an area closed to the public at about 9:05 p.m. The vehicle carried a large decal reading "KEEP BUCKLEY JUDGE," the commission wrote.

The captain saw signs of intoxication, according to the charges, and Buckley told him he had not been drinking that night. Buckley could not complete the field sobriety tests and told officers that was because he has balance issues and is a disabled veteran, and the captain reminded him that before the tests he had said he had no leg, knee or hip problems, the commission wrote. He refused a portable breath test and a chemical breath test. When the captain grabbed his arm and reminded him he was not free to leave, Buckley said, "I'm a Judge," and after the captain called the on-call prosecutor for a search warrant, Buckley said, "I'm a Judge; you've just ruined my career," the commission wrote. A blood test at a LaPorte hospital showed a blood alcohol level of .221%, the charges say, and Buckley told officers the judge who signed the warrant was his friend and that the Fraternal Order of Police had endorsed his campaign.

Buckley pleaded guilty Aug. 17 in LaPorte Superior Court 4 to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, a Class C misdemeanor, and was sentenced to 60 days in jail with 58 suspended and 180 days of probation, according to the charges and that court's docket. Two Class A misdemeanor counts were dismissed under the plea agreement.

The commission also wrote that its investigation confirmed Buckley had a case of beer in his chambers under the coat rack where he hung his robe, and that court staff said he arrived at work "reeking" of alcohol on May 6.

Earlier history

The charges list a 2009 conviction for operating while intoxicated in Hobart City Court while Buckley was in law school, a 2021 public admonition over bond revocations he ordered as Lowell Town Court judge, and a 2025 deferred agreement with the commission after a 2024 alcohol-related domestic dispute was reported to Valparaiso police. Buckley reported that dispute to the commission himself, and a special prosecutor filed no criminal charges in it. Before the agreement was signed in March 2025, Buckley told the commission he was going to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and counseling, and he finished an intensive outpatient program, according to the charges. The commission ended the agreement after the August arrest, the charges say.

Off the bench, and the Nov. 3 vote

Buckley is not hearing cases, the court system said Oct. 16, after the Supreme Court appointed Senior Judge Michael N. Pagano on Oct. 14 to hear cases in Porter Superior Court. The court system also said then that Buckley was representing himself. Voters chose Democrat Heather A. McCarthy over Buckley, a Republican, for the Superior Court 4 seat on Nov. 3, by 33,781 votes to 24,631, according to Porter County's unofficial results.

The commission's counts are allegations, and the Supreme Court decides whether any misconduct occurred.