New Orleans judges spend big on state-funded trips
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November 11, 2011
New Orleans, Louisiana: A recent audit by New Orleans news channel 4, WWLTV, revealed that certain judges in the Orleans Parish Criminal and Civil Courts have been racking up big bills on state-funded trips. Waterfront condos, Jamaican and Puerto Rican resorts, golf tournaments and ski lodges are some examples of judicial expenses on these trips.
Every year, Louisiana judges are required to complete 12.5 hours of legal training, called "Continuing Legal Education". The judges are compensated for travel and other expenses incurred while attending various conferences to fulfill their training. Each judge is reimbursed for airfare, hotels and rental cars, as well as given $118 per day for meals. The audits, however, found that some judges were taking these opportunities too far. Travel expenses are the second highest judicial expense, behind insurance benefits. Rafael Goyeneche, president of the Metropolitan Crime Commission, stated, "It's truly eye-opening to see the amount of money that's spent by the court on continuing legal education. This is an area that is long overdue for scrutiny. And I think this is a by-product of a lack of transparency and accountability."[1]
The judges do not all attend the same conferences. Some choose to go to Jamaican resorts for their legal training, others to the nearby Loyola University Law School. The following chart shows the large spectrum of travel expenses judges have incurred since 2009.
Criminal Court Travel Expenses since 2009:
| Biggest spenders | Biggest savers |
|---|---|
| Lynda Van Davis - $36,856 | Terry Alarcon - $178 |
| Robin Pittman - $20,824 | Julian Parker - $672 |
| Total court expenses | $173,000+ |
Civil Court Travel Expenses since 2009
| Biggest spenders | Biggest savers |
|---|---|
| Michael Bagneris - $25,467 | Christopher Bruno - $0 |
| Lloyd Medley - ~$21,000 | Sidney Cates - $750 |
| Total court expenses: | $250,000+ |
Civil Court spokesman Walt Pierce issued a statement, clarifying, "The court does not pay the expenses of spouses or other family members who accompany judges on trips to CLEs or any other official business."[2][1]
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