On Thursday, August 15, 2024, Nola.com reported that Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams had taken issue with the behavior of Juana Lombard, the elected magistrate judge in New Orleans.
According to the article, Williams sent a letter to criminal court leadership alleging that Judge Lombard had displayed “hostile, irate, erratic” conduct towards his prosecutors that had become too problematic to ignore.
Specifically, Williams claimed Lombard favored “screaming tirades” in her courtroom over following the law. He cited a recent simple battery trial from July 29th-30th where Lombard allegedly berated prosecutors. Court documents cited Lombard as making “offensive and derogatory comments” towards a deputy chief prosecutor during this trial. Williams’ office also said Lombard threatened one prosecutor with contempt of court when she tried to introduce body camera footage as evidence.
In response to this incident and other concerns, Williams decided to pull his prosecutors from first appearances in Lombard’s courtroom. He also indicated his office would consider moving all state misdemeanor cases from Lombard’s section to New Orleans Municipal and Traffic Court. Williams argued the “current state” of Lombard’s courtroom warranted these changes.
However, Lombard disputed Williams’ characterization of her behavior in a letter. She dismissed his criticism of her demeanor, claiming he was using her as an excuse for moves he had already planned. Lombard said she had made “several attempts” to meet with Williams privately, with “all to no avail.”
While Williams portrayed his actions as a response to Lombard’s most recent behavior, the article noted discussions had been ongoing for over a year to move some responsibilities, like state misdemeanor trials, to the faster-paced Municipal Court. Previously, former DA Leon Cannizzaro had made similar changes, removing bond settings and minor cases from magistrate court.
The case was still developing, as Williams’ staff reviewed Lombard’s docket to decide which pending misdemeanors might also transition to Municipal Court. Judge Mark Shea of that court said talks with Williams on the potential influx of cases had been in progress for around a year as well. Both offices believed the change could help process criminal matters more efficiently.
Source: Nola.com
