A Lake Superior Court judge has been charged with three counts of misconduct. The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications has filed disciplinary charges against Judge Calvin D. Hawkins.
Hawkins is accused of rubbing a Hammond courthouse staff member's shoulder — when a jury trial was moved from East Chicago in October of 2023, due to issues with recording equipment — and later trying to hug and kiss her. A few days later, Hawkins allegedly sent her a card, saying, "It was such a pleasure meeting you last week. Thank you for being so gracious as I have some 'loose screws' in my head and may have appeared too forward."
Meanwhile, Hawkins also allegedly made a comment about a Hammond Courthouse support secretary being "on her hands and knees," while she knelt down to work on the recording system. She interpreted the comment as a sexual reference.
When the Commission on Judicial Qualifications began investigating, it says it found "a pattern of conduct that included unwanted hugs and inappropriate comments toward his own staff member." That allegedly including asking, "shall we have a threesome?" when the staff member wanted to make sure another member of the court staff knew how to handle certain cases.
Judge Hawkins has 20 days to formally respond to the charges. The commission is asking the Indiana Supreme Court to appoint a panel of judges to conduct a public hearing on the alleged judicial misconduct and impose an appropriate sanction.
Hawkins has served as a Lake Superior Court judge since 2007.
