Commission rates efficiency of Orleans Parish judges
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August 24, 2011
Orleans Parish, Louisiana: The Metropolitan Crime Commission (MCC) released its "2010 Orleans Parish Judicial Accountability Report" on August 18, 2011. The study ranked the 12 judges of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court (part of the 41st Judicial District) by their "judicial efficiency," or their ability to resolve the cases on their docket in a timely manner. The MCC used the following factors to determine each judge’s efficiency: "inventory of open felony cases, percent of open felony cases more than one year old, and median days needed to close felony cases."[1] These measures, they explained, are supported by the American Bar Association and the National Center for State Courts as "valid and reliable indicators of judicial performance".[1] The MCC has been issuing regular reports measuring the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court judges' efficiency since 2007.
The overall rankings put Judge Karen K. Herman in first place and Judge Arthur L. Hunter, Jr. in last. The median number of days that it took for a case to be processed by the court was 125. The court as a whole had improved its efficiency since 2007.
- Overall Judicial Efficiency Rankings
- 1st: Karen K. Herman
- 2nd: Keva Landrum-Johnson
- 3rd: Terry Q. Alarcon
- 4/5th: Robin D. Pittman, Frank A. Marullo, Jr. (tie)
- 6th: Darryl Derbigny
- 7th: Camille Buras
- 8th: Julian Parker
- 9th: Laurie A. White
- 10/11th: Benedict Willard, Lynda Van Davis (tie)
- 12th: Arthur L. Hunter, Jr.
| 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Average inventory of open felony cases (per section) | 227 | 185 | ||
| percent of open cases more than one year old | 18 | 17 | 21 | 34 |
| Median case processing time (in days) | 125 | 120 | 140 | 232 |
Some of the lower-ranking judges attacked the MCC's methodology, explaining that some judges have to deal with more time-consuming cases, such as those involving the death penalty. Judge Lynda Van Davis stated, "You're not comparing apples to apples. We all handle the same types of cases, but that doesn't mean we're trying the same cases."[2] Judge Laurie A. White explained that her docket was "mummified"[2] because the District Attorney had not assigned a special prosecutor to her court this year to help advance major cases.
Judges Davis and White, however, did decrease their median case processing times by 30 days or more as compared to 2009. Those two judges, along with Benedict Willard, were also found ranked at or near the top in the number of jury trials conducted so far this year, which may have negatively influenced their overall efficiency due to the time-consuming nature of such trials. The president of the MCC, Rafael Goyeneche, defended the study, saying, "It's a level playing field. We're comparing the judges of Criminal District Court with their peers on the bench."
You can view the full report here: Metropolitan Crime Commission, Inc.: 2010 Orleans Parish Judicial Accountability Report
Footnotes
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