JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) – The Missouri Supreme Court has suspended a Lincoln County judge accused of delaying the assignment of public defenders in probation cases.

The court on Tuesday suspended Judge Christina Kunza Mennemeyer without pay for six months starting Feb. 1.

The action comes in response to a 2014 complaint filed by the director of the Missouri State Public Defender System, who said Mennemeyer deliberately waited to assign public defenders until after the deadline for requesting a new trial judge for a case had passed. Court documents say Mennemeyer also threatened to file complaints against attorneys who tried to represent defendants before she assigned them to the case.

Mennemeyer and her lawyer did not immediately respond to calls for comment Tuesday.