Louisiana’s Code of Judicial Conduct forbids any judgeship candidate from taking a position on pending cases or “any cases, controversies or issues that are likely to come before the court” says John Maginnis. In that sense, he says it is the state’s own fault that judicial contenders tend to make their case against each other based on personal history rather than legal expertise or philosophy. Regarding Saturday’s election in 20 parishes between two Republicans, Maginnis says District Judge Marcus Clark is getting “hammered” on his month-long suspension for failing to rule in a timely manner on several cases, while attorney Jimmy Faircloth is getting “slammed” for his representation of the Coushatta Indian tribe, a big casino owner. “Recent high court elections in other parts of the state have been just as peppered with scorching attack ads and political intrigue, which have nothing to do with determining the candidate with the wisdom, experience and temperament to sit on the Supreme Court,” Maginnis says. “The personal ordeal, also expensive and grueling, continues to limit highly qualified jurists and lawyers from offering themselves up to be ravaged by the electoral beast.” Read the full column here.
John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.
