Opinion ID: 1737782
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 12

Heading: Failure to sign routine orders as duty judge

Text: The record supports the Commission's finding that members of the bar would present their routine ex parte orders to the First Judicial District Court either the week before or the week after Judge Emanuel was sitting as duty judge because Judge Emanuel delayed or refused to sign routine ex parte orders. This practice resulted in the other judges assuming a greater workload when they were assigned as duty judge. Further, the First Judicial District Court amended Local Rules 2, Sections 2, 3 and 4, eliminating the no assignment of matters which do not require action in open court and further eliminating the Civil Order Signing Judge duty assignments. The Commission additionally presented three cases where Judge Emanuel either refused to sign, or delayed in signing, routine ex parte orders. In Bank One, counsel claimed that Judge Emanuel failed and/or refused to confirm a default judgment where a curator had failed to file an answer. After the curator filed an answer, Premier Bank filed a motion for summary judgment and Premier Bank's attorney claimed that Judge Emanuel did not set the motion for hearing despite several calls to his office. Subsequently, the case was reassigned to another section. In Ford Motor Credit, Judge Emanuel refused to sign a writ of seizure in an executory process suit because he believed it was unfair to seize the property where the debtor was only two months in arrears. Subsequently, another judge signed the order. In Cassibry, Judge Emanuel's office was presented with an ex parte order in connection with a motorcycle seizure on November 8, 1996, but despite numerous calls and visits to his office, and assurances from his secretary that he would sign the order, counsel was unable to get him to sign the order. Finally, on November 21, 1996, Judge Emanuel arranged for another judge to sign the order while he was away at a judicial conference. Judge Emanuel's decision not to sign the order in Ford Motor Credit amounts to judicial misconduct under In re Quirk, where we held that a judge may be found to have violated La. Const. art. V, Sec. 25 by a legal ruling or action made contrary to clear and determined law about which there is no confusion or question as to its interpretation and where this legal error was egregious, made in bad faith, or made as part of a pattern or practice of legal error. In re Quirk, 97-1143 (La.12/12/97), 705 So.2d 172, 181. In Ford Motor Credit, Judge Emanuel has offered no valid explanation for refusing to sign the order other than his personal view that he thought the seizure was unfair. This is another example of Judge Emanuel making other judges do his work for him. There is clear and convincing evidence that Judge Emanuel's failure to act in the Cassibry and Bank One cases caused some delay. There is also clear and convincing evidence that there was a perception among members of the bar that Judge Emanuel was not the judge to go to if a routine ex parte order needed signing and this may have caused extra work for the other judges. Based on the evidence presented, Judge Emanuel violated Canon 3 A(7) by failing to sign these routine orders.