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Leroy J. Laiche, Jr.
Leroy J. Laiche, Jr. was a judge of the Ascension Parish Justice Court in Louisiana. On March 15, 2016, the Louisiana Supreme Court ordered Laiche's removal from the court due to misconduct.[1]
Biography
Laiche received a bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from Southern University.[2] He previously served as an assistant district attorney.[3]
Noteworthy events
Misconduct case (2015)
In 2015, the Louisiana Judiciary Commission recommended to the Louisiana Supreme Court that Laiche be removed from his position as justice of the peace. According to the allegations against him, Laiche mishandled peace bonds, in which defendants put up as much as $1,000 and if they break the peace in the specified time frame they could lose their bond money or even go to jail. According to the commission, Laiche failed to adequately refund expired peace bonds, extended them improperly and charged double the filing fee for his own gain. Complaints arose from two specific cases involving peace bonds in 2011.[3]
"Respondent’s conduct shows he is unfit and unqualified to sit as a justice of the peace because of his willful misconduct relating to his official duty and persistent and public conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice that brings the judicial office into disrepute," wrote attorneys of the commission's prosecutorial branch, the Office of Special Counsel.[3]
Laiche acknowledged that he made some mistakes with the peace bonds, but claims he fixed the errors and that there was no pattern of problems with his work. He said that the commission relied on testimony of people who were unhappy with his rulings and that the investigation was one-sided.[3]
On March 15, 2016, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled in a 5-2 decision that Laiche be removed from the bench. "We find respondent’s faulty interpretation of the law, failure to faithfully enforce it, incompetence and gross negligence in the administration of his office, and general indifference to these failures has negatively affected many lives and casts a dark shadow on the judiciary as a whole," read the court's opinion, written by Justice Greg Guidry. Justices John L. Weimer and Jefferson Hughes dissented. Weimer wrote that a "sanction less than removal from office would serve the interests of justice."[1]
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 The Creole, "Louisiana Supreme Court removes Ascension Parish Justice of the Peace Leroy Laiche for misconduct," March 16, 2016
- ↑ Martindale, "Leroy J. Laiche, Jr. - Lawyer Profile," accessed December 29, 2015
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 The Advocate, "Prairieville-based justice of the peace fights possible removal from office for rude behavior, but he says 'witch hunt'," December 23, 2015
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana
State courts:
Louisiana Supreme Court • Louisiana Courts of Appeal • Louisiana District Courts • Louisiana City Courts • Louisiana Family Courts • Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts • Louisiana Juvenile Courts • Louisiana Mayor’s Courts • Louisiana Municipal Courts • Louisiana Parish Courts • Louisiana Traffic Courts
State resources:
Courts in Louisiana • Louisiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Louisiana
