ROBE, BEER & BLOW-OFF: Porter Judge Busted at .221% BAC After Stashing Case of Irish Pub Pack Under His Robe Rack — Then Tried to Play the “I’m a Judge” Card

Porter Superior Court Judge Christopher A. Buckley

VALPARAISO — The robe is off, the beer is out, and Porter Superior Court Judge Christopher A. Buckley is now facing formal disciplinary charges that paint a picture of a sitting judge who allegedly kept a case of Irish Pub Pack under the coat rack where he hung his judicial robes, showed up to work reeking of alcohol, and later got pulled over with a blood-alcohol level of 0.221% — nearly three times the legal limit — while trying to talk his way out of it by reminding cops he was a judge.

According to the Indiana Commission on Judicial Qualifications’ Statement of Charges filed October 16 in case 26S-JD-373, the trouble didn’t start with the August 15 Michigan City music-festival arrest. Court staff reportedly told investigators that on May 6, 2026, Buckley arrived at work “reeking” of alcohol. Investigators also confirmed a case of Irish Pub Pack beer stashed in his chambers right under the rack that held his robe.

The August night itself was pure tabloid fodder. Buckley, driving a black Lincoln Navigator plastered with a “KEEP BUCKLEY JUDGE” campaign decal, pulled into a restricted area at the Live at the Lakefront concert. When an off-duty Michigan City captain approached, Buckley allegedly shot back “Can’t you read?” and gestured at the decal. He then stumbled getting out of the vehicle, glassy-eyed and reeking, with slow, thick, slurred speech.

He refused field sobriety tests at first (“you’re going to ruin my career or life”), walked away from officers multiple times, and, once grabbed and reminded he wasn’t free to leave, declared: “I’m a Judge.” After refusing the portable breath test and the implied-consent chemical test, he was taken for a blood draw under warrant. The result: 0.221%. He also name-dropped that the judge who signed the warrant was his friend and that the Fraternal Order of Police had endorsed his campaign, while fretting that the arrest would ruin his “career and pension.”

Two days later — Monday, August 17 — Buckley pleaded guilty to a single Class C misdemeanor OWI. The higher Class A counts (including endangering a person) were dropped. He got a largely suspended sentence, 180 days of probation, and monitoring through the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program. He is currently off the bench; Senior Judge Michael N. Pagano was appointed judge pro tempore on October 14.

This is not Buckley’s first alcohol-related brush with the system. He had a 2009 OWI conviction while still in law school. In 2024 there was an alcohol-related domestic incident with his then-wife (they are now separated with divorce proceedings pending) that led to a Deferred Resolution Agreement requiring therapy, AA, and JLAP monitoring through March 2027. That agreement was rescinded after the August arrest and conviction. He also received a public admonition in 2021 while serving as Lowell Town Court judge for bond-handling issues.

The Commission’s two formal counts allege: (1) the OWI conviction itself violated Rules 1.1 and 1.2 (comply with the law and promote public confidence in the judiciary), and (2) invoking his judicial status and related comments to try to gain leniency violated Rule 1.3 (don’t abuse the prestige of judicial office). Buckley is representing himself and has 20 days to answer. The Indiana Supreme Court has the final word and can do anything from dismissing the case to a permanent ban on holding judicial office.

Buckley, a Marine Corps veteran who has spoken publicly about struggling with alcohol since his service, previously put his reelection campaign on pause after the arrest and entered treatment. He remains, at least for now, a sitting judge whose docket has included misdemeanors, low-level felonies, traffic matters — and, according to local reporting, work connected to a mental-health restoration court focused on treatment and accountability.

The Commission’s filing makes clear the case is no longer just about one night at the lakefront. It’s about a pattern, a robe rack that allegedly doubled as a beer cooler, and a judge who, according to the charges, kept reminding everyone within earshot that he was a judge — right up until the blood test came back nearly triple the limit.