A state disciplinary board has dismissed a formal complaint filed against a candidate for Hamilton County Juvenile Court judge who incorrectly said during a radio interview that she previously had been a judge.

A three-member panel of the Ohio Supreme Court's Board of Professional Conduct said in its decision that the candidate, Hamilton County Probate Court Magistrate Susan Luken, "simply made a mistake and misspoke."

The decision ends the disciplinary case against Luken, a Republican Party-endorsed candidate who is running against incumbent Juvenile Court Judge Kari Bloom, who is supported by the Democratic Party.

The allegations were brought to the disciplinary board by Kathleen Brinkman, a supporter of Bloom who is active in the Hamilton County Democratic Party. The allegations, which stemmed from an Aug. 6 interview on 55KRC, were reviewed by a different panel, and the complaint was filed Aug. 20.

Luken's attorney, Mark Byrne, said in a statement that Brinkman's grievance "was unfairly crafted in a way to convince" the initial panel to recommend the filing of a formal complaint. Byrne described Brinkman as "a known operative for the opposing political party."

The Board of Professional Conduct's decision detailed how the radio interview unfolded.

Near the beginning, Luken said: "I currently am a magistrate with Hamilton County Probate Court. And in that role, I do the mental health docket, and I also do adoptions, and … I was a juvenile court judge actually twice in the past, all the way back to 2011, and then as recently as 2020 when I worked for Judge Melissa Powers."

But Luken had been a juvenile court magistrate who was appointed to the role by the court.

At an Aug. 27 disciplinary hearing, Luken testified that she did not intend to claim that she had been a juvenile court judge and didn't realize she misspoke until she received the complaint. She said it was a mistake she made during a fast-moving, live radio interview.

The board's decision also addressed the fact that Luken didn't correct host Brian Thomas after he referred to her as "Judge Luken."

According to the decision, Luken testified that attorneys call her that routinely during court hearings even though everyone knows she is a magistrate, "and she simply did not think of correcting him."

Byrne said it is Luken's "sincere hope that the next two months can be spent on debating the serious issues affecting the juvenile population of Hamilton County, and how if elected as the next juvenile court judge, she intends to roll up her sleeves and address those issues for the benefit of the voters in this county."

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Complaint dismissed against judge candidate who 'misspoke' in interview