A court watchdog group in New Orleans is speaking out against a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a mechanism to allow the Senate to remove a judge or a district attorney upon the recommendation of the governor. Jesse Manley, the interim executive director of Court Watch NOLA, says the problem he has with that is that since judges and district attorneys are elected, it would allow the governor and the Senate to disregard the will of the voters.
“This system is built on confidence and trust and respect. And having any executive that can take those choices out of voter’s hands is going to rapidly erode the confidence in that system,” Manley said.
Under Senate Bill 123 by Monroe Republican Jay Morris, the governor would have the power to suspend a judge or DA for up to six months, during which time the Senate can remove that person with a two-thirds majority. Manley says the people who put the judges and district attorneys in their positions are more than capable of doing the deed if necessary.
“We have active, engaged voters who are very active in making these decisions already. I do not want to see anything that removes that choice from them,” Manley said.
Morris cited what he calls a disturbing and repeated pattern of breakdowns within Louisiana’s juvenile justice system. He used as an example the murder of tourist Jacob Carter in the French Quarter by a teenager whose ankle monitoring contract expired without the judge or DA realizing it. But Manley says Morris’ bill is an unnecessary step in holding judges accountable.
“We have a Louisiana Judiciary Commission, where you can file a complaint against a judge for what you believe to be misconduct,” Manley explained.
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