1 1 1 1 1 1 1 , 1 ; 1 , , • 1 , 1 A ", A 1 1 1 • • 1 '1 ..... 1 ,l'·' 1 ~tI •. 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 , . .i! 1 ." -.,";- ./ 1 ~". 1 -;: ~-... -- 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 " i.~ ,- '~ 1 , , 5 iJ 1 .f( I A , :.1 , , , , , , , I I I I I I I I I I I I I The stately CLINTON COURTHOUSE in the town square has been in cQnstant use since 1841. This old building of Greek Revival architecture is set I among oaks more than a century old and is considered a perfect example of Old South architecture. The Clinton CourthQuse is located in East Feliciana Parish, home of numerous examples of antebellum architecture. I I I I . I I' .~-- _._--- --~~~-.-- I' I THE JlJDICIAL I COlJNCIL I OF I THE SlJPBEInE I COlJBT OF I LOlJISIANA I Ii I I I 'I I ANNIJAL llEP01IT "'1'1'11 1979 STATISTICS f' ,."", 1\,J tf3 . AC .j , ~,,~ I ANDHELATEDDATA 'I ~ ______J ------- ~~-- --~- , II I I I II I TABLE OF CONTENTS I 1979 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA I 301 Loyola Avenue New Orleans, Louisiana 70112 I Eugene J. Murret Judicial Administrator Letter of Transmittal ....................................................... , 4 I Supreme Court. .. 5 Judicial Council. • . .. 8 Judicial Administrator's Report .......... , ................•................... 10 I State Budget Graph ........... _............................................. 11 Judicial Planning Committee ...................................•............. 12 '-Judicial College ............................................................ 14 Judiciary Commission ...................................................•... 15 I Courts of Appeal ............................... , ........................... 16 District Courts .....................................................•....... 19 Family and Juvenile Courts I City and Parish Courts ............................................. , ........ 27 STATISTICAL SECTION I Introduction ............................................................... 30 Supreme Court ............................................................ ~ 31 Courts 01 Appeal ..................................... , ...............•.•... 33 I District Courts .....................................................•.•..... 34 Family and Juvenile Courts ............ , ..................................... 37 City and Parish Courts ...................................................... 38 Maps ........................................................•....•....... 44 I Court Structure ..' .......................................................... 48 EDITOR I Paulette Holahan STATISTICAL SECTION Dr. Hugh Collins I Lansing L. Mitchell, Jr. Dorothy Graffeo SECRETARIAL ASSISTANCE I Gwen Nicolich ',:, Prece~ing page blank I ~llpr.em.e Qtood I STATE OF LOUISIANA CHIEF JUSTICE N.ew Ofi,d.eUt1,lI FRANK W. SUMMERS I ASSOCIATE JUSTICES JOHN A. DIXoN. JR. PASCAL F. CALOGERO. JR. WALTER F. MARCUS. JR. ~Ol LOYOLA AVE. 70112 JAMES L. DENNIS I FRED A. BLANCHE, JR. TELEPHONE 504-'.!6B-5707 JACK CROZIER WATSON March 1, 1980 I To the Members of the Suprem~ Court of Louisiana To the Members of the Board of Governors of the I Louisiana State Bar Association Gentlemen: I In accordance with the prov~s~ons of subsection (e) of Section 5 of Rule XXII of the Revised Rules of the Louisiana Supreme Court, I am pleased I to submit herewith the twenty-fourth annual report of the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court. I The extremely heavy caseload of the Supreme Court continues to be the principal problem confronting our judicial system. Filings in 1979 again increased; by approximately l5/~. The transfer of criminal appellate jurisdiction I from the Supreme Court to the Courts of Appeal j,g more urgent than ever. The Judicial Council recently adopted crir,~ria for evaluating requests for the creation of additional judgeships and fot the splitting of judicial I districts. A special connnittee has been appoint.ed to initially screen each request, make a field visit, and file a report thereon. The ne,v procedures will ~erve to strengthen the reconnnendations of the Council to the Legislature, I and will discourage unjustified requests. On this occasion of the effective date of my retirement from active judicial service, I want to thank the members of the Judicial Council, the I Louisiana State Bar Association, my fellow judges, and particularly my associates on the Louisiana Supreme Court for the support and cooperation shown during my tenure as Chief Justice and Chairman of the Judicial Council in I our mutual efforts to improve our court system. I wish all of you continued success in the years ahead. I RespectfuI~~ ~~~ ~/lI'~r~~~/ ~=~l<'·RANK H. S~ Chief Justice I FWS:ds 4 --------------------------~ I SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA I TEN YEAR FILING TREND I [1970·1979] I I I 3,300 3,000 I 2,700 I 2,400 I tI e 2,100 ~ C"I.l I ~ 1,800 ~ I ~ 1,500 0 :;!; I 1,200 I 900 I 600 300 I I 1970 '71 '72 '17",t.J '74 '75 '76 '77 '78 '79 I *See Statistical S~ction for map and additional data" I 5 I --------------~---------- -- THE SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA I I CHIEF JUSTICE FRANK W. SUMMERS *1 Chief Justice Summers is elected from the Sixth Supreme Court District comprised of the I following parishes: ASCENSION, ASSUMP· TION, IBERIA, LAFOURCHE, ST. CHARLES, " ST. JAMES, ST. JOHN THE BAPTIST, ST. I MARY, ST. MARTIN, TERREBONNE, AND .," VERMILION. .,' I c' " ASSOCIATE JUSTICE ASSOCIATE JUSTICE :.1 JOHN A. DIXON, JR. ~I PASCALF. CALOGERO, JR. ·t .,' Justice Dixon is elected from the Second Justice Calogero is elected from the First I Supreme Court District comprised of the Supreme Court District comprised of the following parishes: BIENVILLE, BOSSIER, following parishes: JEFFERSON, ORLEANS, CADDO, CLAIBORNE, DESOTO, NATCHI· PLAQUEMINES, AND ST. BERNARD. TOCHES, RED RIVER, SABINE, VERNON, I WEBSTER, AND WINN. ASSOCIATE JUSTICE JAMES L, DENNIS ASSOCIATE JUSTICE Justice Dennis is elected from the Fourth I WALTER F. MARCUS, JR. Supreme Court District comprised of the Justice Marcus is elected from the First following parishes: CALDWELL, CATABOU· '\ Supreme Court District comprised of the LA, CONCORDIA, EAST CARROLL, FRANK· I " i~ following parishes: JEFFERSON, ORLEANS, LIN, JACKSON, LA SALLE, LINCOLN, ~ ~ PLAQUEMINES, AND ST. BERNARD. MADISON, MOREHOUSE, OUACHITA, ~ RICHLAND, TENSAS, UNION, AND WEST i CARROLL. I ASSOCIATE JUSTICE I FRED A. BLANCHE, JR. ASSOCIATE JUSTICE Justice Blanche is elocted from the Fifth JACKC. WATSON *2 Supreme Court District comprised of the Justice Watson is elected from the Third I "! following parishes: EAST BATON ROUGE, Supreme Court District comprised of the EAST FELICIANA, IBERVILLE, LIVING· following,.parishes: ACADIA, ALLEN, AVOY· I ELLES, BEAUREGARD, CALCASIEU, CAM· , STON, POINT COUPEE, ST. HELENA, ST. I .i LANDRY, ST. TAMMANY, TANGIPAHOA, ERON, EVANGELINE, GRANT, .JEFFERSON WASHINGTON, WEST BATON ROUGE and DAVIS, LAFAYE'l'TE, ANDRAPIDES. I I\ WEST FELICIANA. i I .} CLERK OF COURT THE HONORABLE I FRANS J. LABRANCHE, JR. I . *1 Chief Justice Ii'rank W. Summers retired Fobruary 29, 1980. Associate Justice John A. I 'Dixon, Jr, became Chief Justice March 1,1980. ""i ; ,:~, ~ *2 Justice Watson took office in December, .. 1979, succeeding Justice Albert Tate, Jr. who I .. was appointed to the Fifth Circuit Federal ;J Court of Appeals. I "" .. 6 . i I " "t ------- - M PI ..-,' I I I I THE CHIEF JUSTICE AND ASSOCIATE JUSTICES OF THE I LOUISIANA SUPREME CO~URT IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM I I I I I I I I I I Left to right: Associate Justice Fred A. Blanche, Jr., Associate Justice Walter F. Marcus, Jr., Associate Justice John A. Dixon, Jr., Chief Justice Frank W. Summers, Associate Justice Pascal F. II Calogero, ,Jr., Associate Justice James L. Dennis, and Associate Justice Jack C. Watson. I I I II 7 ! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I THE JUDICIAL COUNCIL I legislature, of new judgeships and new judicial I New Judgeships result from Judicial Council districts, where crowded dockets and a growing recommendations ... backlog of cases reflect this need. Because of this, and based on recom­ I Following the recommendations of the mendations to the Council by Dr. Hugh M. Collins of Judicial Council of Louisiana, the 1979 Louisiana the Judicial Administrator's Office, a subeommittee State Legislature created 5 new judgeships. In -- The Subcommittee on Standards and Procedures audition, the legislature authorized the split of one for Evaluating Requests for Additional Judgeships district thereby creating a new judgeship and -- was appointed to draft a plan for the District Attorney's position. The District split (in the establishment of criteria for the recommendation of 1Oth Judicial District Court, Red River and new judgeships. The subcommittee, chaired by Natchitoches Parishes) was subject to successful Judge Thomas W. Tanner -- 22nd Judicial District, I referendum by the people. * Washington and St. Tammany Parishes -- met Acts of the 1979 Session of the Legislature throughout the past year and presented to the created one judgeship each for the 13th Judicial Council, at a special session in January of 1980, a full I District Court -- Evangeline Parish --, and the 32nd report and plan for such a system. Judicial District Court -- Terrebonne Parish. Two new judgeships were created for Orleans Civil r-------------------.~,\t.--..-.."'I District Court with provision that the court, by court I rule, designate two divisions of the court for domestic relations. One judgeship was created fo~' Orleans Juvenile