Louisiana Voice

Those who read this post regularly know of my disdain for candidates for judge falling back on party loyalties and devotion to partisan politics as qualifications to wear a black robe, sit on an elevated platform looking all-wise as they decide the fate of those appearing before them—based largely, by the way, on which attorney involved kicked in the biggest campaign contribution.

I’ve harped ad nauseam on the lack of commitment to the rule of law in favor of trying to convince voters that being “a Republican longer than Donald Trump” and dedication to conservative principles were somehow qualifications for a judgeship–as with the case of First Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Blair Downing Edwards who is seeking promotion to the Louisiana Supreme Court in this Saturday’s primary.

I have also written extensively about the national problem of child sexual abuse, even to the point of authoring a book about the epidemic entitled The Dinosaur Club. No one, it seems, is immune from the scandal which seems to be growing exponentially: priests, preachers, deacons, cops, celebrities, politicians, even judges–everyone, curiously, except the LGBTQ crowd which tends to mind its own business and asks only to be left alone.

In Amite, for example, a judge last year awarded full custody to a man who had raped the child’s mother, impregnating her, when she was a minor. Moreover, the child told a teacher that her father, John Barnes, had abused her both physically and mentally.

Despite all that, 21^st Judicial District JUDGE JEFFEY CASH awarded Barnes full custody of the child.

Now, let’s jump over a couple of parishes to the west where one West Feliciana Parish judge, Sydney Picou Walker, inexplicably removed a “no contact” bond condition for a man, Jacob Mansell of St. Francisville, accused of sexually abusing a juvenile and later that same day, a second judge, Kathryn Jones, granted Mansell immediate TEMPORARY SOLE CUSTODY of three juveniles in a civil suit involving his ex-wife.

What in the name of convoluted, ass-backward reasoning is going on with these judges? Whatever it is, I sure as hell don’t want what they’re smoking. It was almost as though the two judges were working together in Mansell’s defense.

Along with these two cases, LouisianaVoice has been fielding an increasing number of complaints about family courts all over the state. The problem, it seems, is no matter what testimony may reveal to the contrary, judges are consistently disregarding or even disallowing testimony by one parent while blatantly favoring the opposing parent. Often times, the prevailing parent just happens to have the financial resources to simply outlast the other one, often forcing them into financial ruin while attempting to protect the children.

Making matters worse, family court records are usually sealed, preventing independent investigations of proceedings.

Only two days ago, LouisianaVoice published a story about a judge in TERREBONNE PARISH who, in his desire to hurry things along, simply refused to allow one side’s witnesses to testify and ruled in favor of the other parent.

LouisianaVoice will be taking a much closer look at family courts and readers are invited to relate their experiences for investigation. But please: no innuendo. Everything MUST BE SUPPORTED by documentation. That will be a difficult task, considering the practice of sealing records, but provide whatever documented information you can.

Send your information to: louisianavoice@outlook.com