Nanine McCool
Nanine McCool was a 2014 candidate for the 22nd Judicial District in Louisiana.[1]
Elections
2014
See also: Louisiana judicial elections, 2014
McCool ran for election to the 22nd Judicial District.
Primary: She was defeated in the primary on November 4, 2014, receiving 26.5 percent of the vote. She competed against Dawn Amacker.
[1][2]
Education
McCool received a B.A. in sociology from the University of New Orleans in 1993, and a J.D. from Louisiana State University in 2000.[3]
Career
McCool is an attorney in private practice.[3]
Military service
McCool was a member of the U.S. Coast Guard.[3]
Noteworthy events
Scrutinized for social media posts
McCool came under criticism by the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board (LADB) for social media posts she allegedly made about two judges involved in one of her child custody cases. One of the judges was Dawn Amacker, against whom she ran in November 2014. The other judge was Deborah J. Gambrell, a judge in Mississippi. McCool reportedly started an online petition and asked the public to contact the judges about the case. In June, the against ruled that she had violated professional conduct rules and recommended that she be suspended from practicing law for one year. Amacker's campaign committee released a statement saying that McCool "published blatantly false, misleading, and inflammatory information about Judges Amacker and Gambrell designed to intimidate and to influence the judges' future rulings in pending litigation." McCool was unapologetic and said she was just defending her client.
| “ | I really want people to understand how really difficult it is to get justice in family court when you have this kind of conduct by the judges. I have repeatedly said if they want to sanction me and take away my license because I was willing to stand up for a client...they can have my stinking license.[4][5] | ” |
Update
On October 21, 2014, the Louisiana Judicial Oversight Committee determined that McCool had violated rules governing the conduct of judges and judicial candidates. However, this did not prevent McCool from running for judicial office.[6]
The committee found that although McCool had not provided names in the cases she discussed on social media, she had provided enough details that could identify the parties in the local community. Furthermore, the committee took issue with McCool's encouragement for others to share and speak out on her posts, as it would allow individuals to comment on litigation still pending in the courts.[6] McCool, in response, stated:
| “ | It is extremely disturbing to me that a committee dedicated to ensuring the integrity of the judiciary should seek to publicly chastise a judicial candidate for speaking truthfully, and that the truth should ever be considered prejudicial to the administration of justice. I am deeply, deeply disappointed in the Commission and wholly reject its opinion.[6][5] | ” |
Disbarred
On June 30, 2015, the Louisiana Supreme Court ordered McCool disbarred.[7]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "November 4, 2014 General Election Candidates," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Unofficial Election Results, Results for Election Date: 11/4/2014," accessed November 7, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Elect Nanine McCool District Judge, "About Nanine," archived September 16, 2014
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namednola - ↑ 5.0 5.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 NOLA.com, "North shore family court judge hopeful broke judicial rules, committee says, but can still run for seat," October 21, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, "In re: Joyce Nanine McCool Attorney Disciplinary Proceeding," accessed December 1, 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
