Saturday is election day, so don’t forget to vote! In addition to the U.S. Senate and Public Service Commission races, Orleans Parish will vote on two judicial races. So now’s the time to do your research: Janet Ahern and Monique Barial are facing off for a family court judgeship, while Freddie Charbonnet and Desiree Cook-Calvin are competing for a juvenile court seat. Mr. Charbonnet and Ms. Cook-Calvin both participated in the Judicial Candidates Forum co-sponsored by Court Watch NOLA in October, so check it out on YouTube to learn more about them.
In other court news this week, the Inspector General released a scathing report detailing how the Sheriff’s office has mismanaged the ankle bracelet / electronic monitoring program. Judges, meanwhile, are getting several pay raises (from $137,000) over the next few years. And we’ve been watching a couple of trials this week: first, the D.A. himself is currently trying a murder-for-hire case in Section B, while a jury in Section L convicted a man of rape for posing as a cab driver during Mardi Gras in order to kidnap and assault a tourist.
