NOLA.com reported yesterday that Orleans Parish District Attorney, Leon Cannizzaro, has alleged that judges in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court are guilty of malfeasance, gross misconduct and should potentially be subject to removal from office. [caption id="attachment_2598" align="alignright" width="300"] Photo Courtesy of NOLA.com[/caption] Mr. Cannizzaro recused himself earlier this year from a probe into the Judicial Expense Fund but has provided a roadmap to state Attorney General Buddy Caldwell into what he views as the mishandling of funds by the 12 judges on the Criminal District bench in Orleans Parish. According to the letter, judges have been known to illegally require convicts to pay into the fund under penalty of probation violation, failed to meet state-imposed auditing standards, and may have used funds to illegally pay medical and insurance benefits to themselves. The Metropolitan Crime Commission also requested a state audit into the judges' use of funds this summer to determine the legality of an estimate $2 million in supplemental health and life insurance policies that have been bought by judges this year. It bears noting that Mr. Cannizzaro has admitted that during his time on the bench he may have been involved with these sorts of activities, although it appears that the statute of limitations for any liability on his part would have lapsed in 2010. For the full report, visit NOLA.com.
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