SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA ANNUAL REPORT 2010 of the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court THE SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA CHIEF JUSTICE CATHERINE D. KIMBALL Fifth Supreme Court District Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana Parishes.* JUSTICE GREG G. GUIDRY JUSTICE MARCUS R. CLARK First Supreme Court District Fourth Supreme Court District Jefferson, Orleans, St. Helena, St. Tam- Bienville, Caldwell, Catahoula, Clai- many, Tangipahoa, and Washington borne, Concordia, East Carroll, Franklin, Parishes.* Grant, Jackson, LaSalle, Lincoln, Madison, Morehouse, Ouachita, Rapides, Richland, Tensas, Union, West Carroll, and Winn Parishes.* JUSTICE JEFFREY P. VICTORY JUSTICE JOHN L. WEIMER Second Supreme Court District Sixth Supreme Court District Allen, Beauregard, Bossier, Caddo, DeSo- Assumption, Iberia, Jefferson, Lafourche, to, Evangeline, Natchitoches, Red River, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. Sabine, Vernon, and Webster Parishes.* James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, and Terrebonne Parishes.* JUSTICE JEANNETTE JUSTICE BERNETTE J. THERIOT KNOLL JOHNSON Third Supreme Court District Seventh Supreme Court District Acadia, Avoyelles, Calcasieu, Cameron, Jefferson and Orleans Parishes.* Jefferson Davis, Lafayette, St. Landry, and Vermilion Parishes.* ABOUT THIS REPORT RESOURCES ON THE WEB AT WWW.LASC.ORG The Supreme Court Annual Report is a useful guide to judicial The 2010 LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT personnel and contacts throughout the state, as well as an ANNUAL REPORT and the GUIDE TO LOUISIANA overview of the Court’s progress in 2010, and includes maps of COURTS featuring a list of judges, clerks and administrators electoral districts for the Supreme Court, the Courts of Appeal, (complete with contact phone numbers) for the Courts of Appeal, and District Courts. District Courts, and City and Parish Courts statewide are now available on the Louisiana Supreme Court web site at www.lasc. The STATISTICAL DATA section summarizes two-year org/press_room/publications.asp. activity trends in juvenile, civil, criminal and traffic categories for courts at all levels in the state. ON THE COVER Statue of former Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Edward Douglass White, who later served as an Associate Justice and Chief Justice of the United States Supreme * See Court District Maps on pages 6-7. Court. MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF JUSTICE 1 CHALLENGES AND CHANGES he year 2010 presented many challenges, both Tpersonally and professionally, and several chang- es here at the Louisiana Supreme Court. Within sev- eral months of suffering an ischemic stroke in Janu- ary of 2010 and undergoing substantive rehabilitation therapy, I resumed my duties as Chief Justice. Actually, within several weeks of the stroke, I was in daily con- tact with the office and handling as much as I could. I would like to thank my fellow Justices, and all the members of the bench and bar, for the outpouring of support that I received from across the state during my recovery. Thank you all for your support, words of encouragement, and prayers. I would like to especially thank retired Judge Phillip Ciaccio for his contributions as an ad hoc Justice on the court for several months in 2010. And I would like to welcome back to the Court Timothy F. Averill, who was appointed Judicial Admin- istrator, upon the retirement of Dr. Hugh M. Collins in late 2010. It’s true what they say, if you have 2010 to make this vision a your health, you have everything. I reality. never dreamed I would have a stroke, We invited two national organiza- resources designing, developing and and I am certain most people don’t tions to review our internal case man- implementing an Enterprise Resource think about it either. I have talked to agement system and our information Planning system which will result in an our state judges about the importance technology systems and to make recom- integrated computer-based system to of wellness and the warning signs of mendations on how we might improve manage financial resources, materials, a stroke. I urged them, as well as our handling our cases more timely and payroll, and human resources. This state legislators, and I urge you, the efficiently. In 2010, we enacted many ERP will revolutionize the way we con- reader, to educate yourself on this of the recommendations, including duct our internal business at the court, issue, but more importantly, to pay eliminating one department and com- and will result in substantial savings attention to your personal health bining two other departments. At the and increased efficiencies for years to needs. As elected officials, we owe as suggestion of the National Center for come. After months of hard work, we much to the people of our great state State Courts, we are investigating the are halfway through our ERP rollout, whom we serve, and as citizens, we owe use of video conferencing as a way to and we expect to be completely online this to our own families. reduce the travel expenses of some of in just a few months. And now to the business at hand. our Justices, and to enable Justices to Both in Louisiana and nationally, we Shortly after I began my term as Chief participate in conferences when they have seen an increase in the number of Justice in January of 2009, the Justices are unable to travel to New Orleans for pro se or self-represented litigants using of the Court met for two days at a some reason. We also continued the the court system as a result of a weaken- retreat, and among other business, pilot testing of e-filing with the Orleans ing economy and rising litigation costs. we adopted a Vision of the Judiciary, and Jefferson Parish District Attorneys We joined with the Louisiana State which basically envisions a judiciary and Public Defenders’ offices. We Bar Association to form a committee that operates timely, efficiently and hope to have our e-filing operations to explore methods of assisting those fairly. Let me tell you about a few of completed this year. self-represented litigants in navigating the initiatives the Court undertook in We have also spent many hours and the legal system. The Task Force was Annual Report 2010 • SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA 2 MESSAGE FROM THE CHIEF JUSTICE chaired by Judge Harry F. Randow, operations. All full-time state judges have had their children removed by and represented a diverse coalition of were invited to apply for participation the state can regain custody if they judges, policymakers, and advocates. in the program, and an initial class of remain drug free, reuniting mothers Task Force members met and drafted 35 was selected from the applicants. with their children and taking the recommendations on how to improve The Institute consists of five sessions children out of the foster care system. access to all levels of court, including over an eight month period in various In short, while saving the state money strengthening training for judges and cities across the state, and the first ses- in terms of incarceration, medical, court employees, improving the quality sion was scheduled for January 2011. welfare, unemployment and other and availability of legal pleadings and We also worked closely with the expenses, as well as reducing crime, forms, and simplifying court proce- Louisiana State Bar Association and its drug courts give hope and support to dures and rules. President, Michael Patterson, on sev- people previously considered as hope- Justice Jeannette Knoll chaired the eral projects again this year, including less. The state dollars allocated to Supreme Court Committee to Study cosponsoring the Diversity Conclave, funding our drug courts are certainly Post-Conviction Procedures, whose hosting the Access to Justice Commit- a wise investment with an excellent purpose was to conduct a compre- tee’s Pro Bono awards, and defending return. hensive review and study of the laws, the new advertising rules. In the near This is just a snapshot of the work of processes and procedures relevant to future, we will be considering proposed the Court in 2010, with the assistance Louisiana post-conviction proceedings, changes to the Bar exam. of many members of the state bench in a collaborative method to determine Over the last few years, the Legisla- and state bar, to move the state judi- the cause, if any, of delays or practices ture has asked the Supreme Court to ciary forward, and we thank everyone unfair to either party. The Committee oversee several programs, and I would who has assisted the Justices this year. I members were drawn from a broad like to highlight one such program. am always receptive to suggestions and range of individuals knowledgeable In 2001, we were asked to oversee the recommendations as to how the Court about the post-conviction process. We establishment of a Drug Court pro- may achieve its vision, so please feel will be acting on the Committee’s rec- gram in Louisiana, and we responded free to contact me with any ideas or ommendations in the near future. with the creation of the Supreme suggestions. A specially appointed Task Force Court Drug Court Office. Now, I have the distinct pleasure of chaired by Judge Jerry Barbera looked almost ten years later, we currently have submitting to the Supreme Court of at how to improve courthouse security in operation 29 adult drug courts, 17 Louisiana, to the Board of Governors in Louisiana, and yet another commit- juvenile drug courts, and one family of the Louisiana State Bar Association, tee was appointed to study standard dependency court. The operation of to the citizens of Louisiana, and to jury instructions with the goal of these drug courts results in savings of other interested parties, the Annual translating them into plain and under- both money and lives.