On Monday, May 1, 2023, Judge Ernestine Anderson-Trahan, Second City Court Judge of the New Orleans, and the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana agreed to confect a deferred recommendation of discipline agreement concerning the amended notice of hearing currently pending against her.

The case is entitled “In the matter of Ernestine Anderson-Trahan” with case no. 2022-O-0055.

On March 1. 2023, the Supreme Court of Louisiana acquitted the respondent for charges of misfiled tax returns. This is after the same was suspended by the Supreme Court of Louisiana for failing to inform the Internal Revenue Service regarding the money she received for officiating weddings.

The report states:

“Specifically, the conviction of the respondent was due to her four counts of submitting false tax returns over four consecutive tax years. This led to the respondent being alleged to underreport her income from legal fees and officiating weddings. In November, in the opening statements of the respondent’s trial, the prosecutors alleged that Judge Anderson-Trahan had failed to report as much as $100,000 of her income to lower her tax liability. This resulted in $37,874 of money being saved by the respondent.”

The report continues:

“However, on February 16, 2023, Nola reported that court judge Nannette Jolivette Brown acquitted the same through a 63-page order. According to the report, the cases that were presented by prosecutors of the U.S. Department of Justice were riddled with inconsistencies and failed to prove that the respondent acted willfully when she misfiled tax returns leading to U.S. District. At the end of the trial, the prosecutors failed to prove the counts and submit concrete evidence.”

Following the said acquittal, On March 28, 2023, an amended notice of hearing was filed. Judge Anderson-Trahan requested a resolution of the case without a formal hearing and offered to address certain issues in the manner provided within the deferred recommendation of discipline agreement.

The respondent and the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana then agreed to confect the deferred recommendation of discipline agreement concerning the said amended notice of hearing.

The Deferred recommendation of the discipline agreement states:

“NOW, THEREFORE, Judge Anderson-Trahan agrees and consents as follows:

1. TERMS AND CONDITIONS: The term before a period of three(3) years, commencing on the date this Agreement is signed by the Chair of the Commission in the space provided below, pursuant to the following terms and conditions. (a) Judge Anderson-Trahan admits that her conduct as set forth in the Amended Notice of Hearing violated Louisiana Supreme Court Rule XXXIX; violated Canons 1, 2, 2A, 3B(l) and 6C(1) of the Code of Judicial Conduct (1996), and violated Louisiana Constitution, Article V, Section 25 (C) (1974) in the respecß mentioned in the Amended Notice of Hearing.”

It is also attached in the agreement that the respondent shall obtain an additional three hours of MCLE on top of the already required 12.5 hours of continuing legal education. An accurate financial disclosure form should also be sent to the Judicial Administrator’s Office for the Louisiana Supreme Court. Judge Anderson-Trahan agrees that any further meritorious complaints lodged against her during the term of the agreement shall create a default under the same.

Judge Anderson-Trahan’s courtroom is located at 225 Morgan St, New Orleans, LA 70114, and can be reached at +1 504-407-0435. Her info can be found on ballotpedia.org.

A copy of the original filing can be found here.