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JBupp t1_itno12n wrote

Another source:

A secret slap on the wrist didn't stop a family court judge in East Baton Rouge Parish from abusing her power to toss people in jail for contempt of court, according to the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, which has proposed a 6-month unpaid suspension for Judge Charlene Charlet Day.

In a recommendation released this month to the Louisiana Supreme Court, the commission argues that Day, who has held her job since 2011, failed to learn her lesson after agreeing in 2018 to a confidential “admonishment” for disregarding the law when she held two earlier litigants in contempt of court.

In one 2017 case, Day ordered a lawyer who represented himself in her court jailed for 30 days on a contempt charge after refusing to let him speak to defend himself, as the law required. The law also said Day could only jail him for up to 24 hours.

“Accordingly, if any judge should have been aware of the absolute necessity of following the laws governing contempt of court and meticulous about doing so … it was Judge Day,” the commission wrote.

Instead, Day issued another improper bench warrant in August 2019, this time for the stepmother of a child involved in a visitation case. The woman, a justice of the peace, was arrested without warning at the elementary school where she teaches, commission records show.

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Krabban t1_itnwk9d wrote

>In one 2017 case, Day ordered a lawyer who represented himself in her court jailed for 30 days on a contempt charge after refusing to let him speak to defend himself, as the law required. The law also said Day could only jail him for up to 24 hours.

>Day issued another improper bench warrant in August 2019, this time for the stepmother of a child involved in a visitation case. The woman, a justice of the peace, was arrested without warning at the elementary school where she teaches.

Reading what she did how the fuck can a 6 month suspension be considered enough punishment? And one supreme court judge even thought this was too harsh? She's clearly abusing her powers, flagrantly disregarding the law and then doesn't change her behaviour when told off.

A judge if anyone is supposed to be held to the absolute highest standards. Her actions not only harm the victims but erode the trust in the entire judicial system, which harms society overall. Why is she allowed to remain a judge at all?

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Has_hog t1_itoncfw wrote

Because when you’re a debate pervert, you can argue about anything, including interpreting everything under the guise of you living 200 years ago. Yes, really. Highest standards, haha, yeah man sure, we’ve got some good “leads” on that

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Jasoman t1_itpqr0b wrote

Since when have they been held to a high standards?

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ligmuhtaint t1_itocbfi wrote

Sounds like typical good ol' boy handshake bullshit in the south. Let these crusty old fucks get exposed more and more. They don't understand and don't want to understand the changed world around them; good riddance. Let em stay ignorant. They'll die dishonest assholes and no one outside of their family will remember them as anything other than a drain on the system and corrupt pieces of shit.

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ableseacat14 t1_itnmwdu wrote

Do people get a trial for a contempt of court charge?

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MitsyEyedMourning t1_itnpbd7 wrote

All in one package because only a judge can make that call so you have been in fact sentenced by a judge.

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MrDangerMan t1_itnsncz wrote

Which makes sense in that it would be impossible to maintain the court system if anyone at court got a separate trial to weigh every little infraction occurring during proceedings. So the judge gets to rule on courtroom infractions. But it requires integrity on the part of the judge. That’s why we gotta bust their asses when they abuse their power.

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anvindr t1_itnz3gf wrote

yes it is possible and it is required to be done by a different judge but typically it’s only available for criminal contempt—more than 24 hrs.

https://www.law.cornell.edu/rules/frcrmp/rule_42

see here for the federal court rules about it (see a3 in particular for the language that disqualifies the “disrespected judge” from being the trial judge for the contempt charge)

rules will vary state to state

I am not a lawyer and this is not legal advice. If you think you need legal advice seek out a competent licensed attorney in your jurisdiction

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mrgreyeyes t1_itno4j8 wrote

Prolly was trigger happy at the start of a normal trial.

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ShenmeNamaeSollich t1_itodcg6 wrote

Was very confused by “Baton Rouge” thinking this lady had already left the bench for abusing power. Turns out that was a different corrupt old white lady family court judge from Tennesee who looks quite similar …

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petit_cochon t1_itpzk11 wrote

Oh God, that woman is awful. I read a long-form article about her a few years ago and it was just shocking. I've actually worked with kids in foster care in the court system. I'm not easily shocked.

Also, when you have a judge doing things like that, you damn well better believe that social workers cannot speak out because they will then worry about having their own kids taken away. It's always so much worse than people can even report.

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FOOLS_GOLD t1_itpsspt wrote

I thought the exact same thing. These judges have been abusing their power and consequently ruining lives for generations. It needs to be easier to remove the trash from these positions of authority.

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EarthlyMartian-21 t1_itoca70 wrote

It’s almost as if the courts want chaos. That’s what will happen when they lose legitimacy; there will be a breaking point.

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Bureaucromancer t1_itvbqqz wrote

There’s a reason that “bringing the administration of justice into disrepute” is the core of so much Canadian law.

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Green-Cruiser t1_itnlz67 wrote

She must have caused mega-karen nightmares in her victims.

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333H_E t1_ito2wt6 wrote

Karen with a gavel is a dangerous thing.

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petit_cochon t1_itpzfbo wrote

I said this on another subreddit, but lawyers in Louisiana generally get a year of suspension for a single instance of a DUI, and that's in addition to having to go through counseling, prove that they do not have a substance abuse issue, and then reapply once the year is up.

For this judge to act this way and get such a minor consequence is an absolute travesty and it's disgusting. If professions want to sell regulate, they damn well should do it with consistency and with an eye to the fact that the public loses trust every time something like this happens.

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gtbuzzed t1_itqde65 wrote

Good. More of this needs to happen. The judges act as if they are gods. It’s bullshit.

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