NEW ORLEANS, La. (KLFY) — Actions taken against judges in Louisiana will now be made public after new rule changes announced by the State Supreme Court today.
The rule changes came after “extensive study, review, solicitation of comments, and further deliberations” and were agreed upon unanimously by the court’s justices. Three major rule chanes were made:
- Hearings on allegations of judicial misconduct will now be public, as will the record and results of the formal proceedings.
- If a judge is admonished (basically a warning), any additional admonishments within a judge’s term of office (ten years for appellate court judges and six years for district court and other judges) shall now be public.
- Information will be made available about confidential non-disciplinary dispositions on the Supreme Court’s website and in Supreme Court publications.
In a press release, the Supreme Court explained that the rule changes bring Louisiana in line with many other states, including states that elect their judges.
The court did say that confidentiality still remains as a major consideration for the judges being disciplined.