Louisiana Supreme Court Removes Judge

Las Vegas Sun ^ | 10/21/03 | ALAN SAYRE

[Tumbleweed_Connection]

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - A judge who forced his employees to work on his re-election campaign and then lied about it was thrown off the bench Tuesday by the Louisiana Supreme Court.

In a 7-0 decision, the high court removed State District Judge C. Hunter King of Orleans Parish from office and barred him from running for a judicial office for at least five years.

The court said King's campaign misconduct and lying were "so prejudicial to the administration of justice, not only in his section of court, but throughout the judicial system, that he cannot be allowed to remain on the bench."

King initially denied any wrongdoing, but admitted everything after learning the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, which investigates judicial misconduct complaints, had recordings of his staff meetings.

King said the pressure of campaign debt made him personally accept donations and enlist his staff to raise funds, both of which are forbidden under the Code of Judicial Conduct.

During staff meetings in late 2001, King told employees they each had to sell 20 tickets to his campaign fund-raiser or risk losing their job. He also sold tickets himself at a funeral.

He fired one employee who failed to sell her quota of tickets, Barbara C. Wallace. She reported him to the judiciary commission and provided the tape recordings of staff meetings.

Calls to King's home and office went unanswered Tuesday.

[hopespringseternal]

Funny, I was just reading about this piece of work in Reader's Digest a couple of nights ago. I am surprised and pleased to find out he was punished.

[Bonaparte]

In 5 years, this corrupt, unrepentent judge, who blames his own abuses on outside "pressure," will be right back on the bench.

[smith288]

Im going to guess and say his political leanings are that of the left.

[birdsman]

Let me get this straight. The judge broke election laws, committed perjury, is guilty of abuse of power, and all he gets is removal from the bench and being restricted from political office for 5 years? If a sitting judge is this worried about being reelected, chances are he was in his last term anyway. All that he lost was the remainder of his current term. He should be in prison, IMO.

[Robert A Cook PE]

Let me guess.....

A judge.

Corrupt. Immoral. No sense of honor. No decency. Lies, cheats, steals (his employees' time, misues government time, exploits funerals for politcal gain....

Appointed by a democrat, right?

[longtermmemmory]

Usually the Judges sanction seperatly from the bar sactions.

So he could be precluded from running for judges and kick off the bench AND THEN have to face loosing his bar license.

[Bonaparte]

Elected by democrats, the knee-jerk entitlement crowd. Last year, King ruled that the Museum of the Confederacy had to pack up and clear out of the building they have occupied for over 100 years.

[OldFriend]

If only he hadn't been so blatant about his corruption then he would have been just fine. It's Louisiana after all.

VOTE JINDAL

[Abe Froman]

Now if we can just do the same with the U.S. 9th Circuit judges.......

[Montfort]

Now I guess he'll just get elected to Congress, like the Honorable Alcee Hastings after he was impeached.

[MarkT]

No, elected by the people...sadly, the people in New Orleans are generally un-educated and vote for the likes of this judge because he is black...one last war story on this clown is that a few weeks ago, this judge presided over a jury trial in which a child who fell out of a street car window while in the care custody and control[sic] of her parents was awarded $51 million against the New Orleans Regional Transit Authority...the judge AND the jury later had their pictures taken with the pliantiff's attorney, the esteemed and honorable Johnnie Cochran (yes, of OJ fame)...hopefully, the award which is a scant $41 million above the insurance limits of the RTA will be reversed on appeal...but you get the picture...the inmates have taken over the asylum.

[Bonaparte]

"...so blatant about his corruption..."

That's right. You can bet your bippy the LSC knows a lot more about King than this. Think this guy got some fat campaign contribs in exchange for favorable court judgments? I do.