A Lawrence County judge will be suspended for 60 days without pay as part of a decision issued last week by the Indiana Supreme Court.
Superior Court Judge John M. Plummer III “committed judicial misconduct by ingesting marijuana over a four-month period, causing his impairment at a county council meeting and his otherwise erratic and agitated demeanor,” the decision said.
The Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications filed notice of formal proceedings against the judge for consuming cannabis-infused gummies and vaped marijuana last year, leading to his suspension from the bench months later.
“The Honorable John M. Plummer III shall be suspended without pay from judicial service for sixty (60) days commencing at 12:01 a.m. on May 21, 2026. The suspension shall terminate and Respondent shall automatically be reinstated to office at 12:01 a.m. on July 20, 2026. This discipline terminates the disciplinary proceedings relating to the circumstances giving rise to this case,” the decision said.
According to the conditional agreement, Plummer will be allowed to return to the bench for several reasons, including that his substance use “occurred during a time of personal stress and instability, and he voluntarily sought therapeutic and psychiatric treatment,” and he doesn’t have a substance use disorder.
The decision also said that Plummer had not faced prior judicial or attorney discipline, and he had accepted responsibility, “though, perhaps belatedly.”
