Thousands of cases may need to be reexamined because judge 'was drunk at work'

Thousands of cases overseen by a former judge are being re-examined after allegations that he came to work while intoxicated.

Judge William T Marshall of Columbus, Ohio was accused by family members in February of going to work under the influence after his mother and daughter filed for guardianship over him.

The filing is a legal attempt to take control of the former judge’s personal and financial affairs, which the family said were “in shambles” due to Mr Marshall’s advanced alcoholism.

The Ohio Public Defender's office is now launching an effort to review the 2,707 cases that involved prison time, or other court supervision, overseen by Mr Marshall during his 15-year career as a judge.

None of those cases involve the death penalty.

"If you're a severe alcoholic, you're going to work under the influence ... and that means you are ruling on people's cases," said Ohio Public Defender Tim Young.

"It also makes you open to manipulation to those who know and perhaps your cases aren't being handled fairly because of the fear of being outed,” he continued. “A fair justice system relies on so many things, but nothing more important than a fair arbitrator – the judge."

Mr Marshall retired in 2018 after receiving a six-month suspension by the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Professional Conduct for improperly inserting himself into his daughter's speeding ticket case.

In their February filing, his family said that without a legal guardian overseeing him, Mr Marshall "is going to want to return to drinking and continue his self-inflicted death sentence."