Effort begins to create third judgeship in Avoyelles

12th Judicial District Judge William Bennett asked the Avoyelles Parish Police Jury back in March to adopt a resolution supporting a request for a third judgeship for the 12th JDC. The request was detoured by
COVID and was finally approved at the May meeting of the jury.

Bennett said he and Judge Kerry Spruill are both carrying significantly more caseload than a district judge should have. He said a judge should have 3,167 “work points” per year. Work points are assigned to various types of cases and judicial duties. The two judges had 10,364 work points this past year -- enough to justify 3.2 judges.

There are parishes with two judges that have half the cases heard in Avoyelles, Bennett noted.

“There is an overwhelming need for a third judge,” he said. “The state says a district judge must work 209 days a year,” Bennett said. “Judge Spruill and I work 365 days.”

Bennett said that thanks to modern technology, he can issue court orders even when he is traveling out-of-state. Both judges receive calls and visits after hours and on weekends pertaining to court business.

The judge reminded jurors that state law requires the Police Jury to provide appropriate facilities to support the court system.

“When we established the Justice Center District we tried to take you out of the court business,” Bennett said. “If the tax had passed, you would not have had to pay a penny for the courts.”

‘FINANCIAL BURDENS’

He said the judges have used court funds to pay for repairs and items that should have been paid by the Police Jury “because we know the financial burdens you have.”

The resolution from the jury attests that the Police Jury agrees with the need for a third judge and that it will provide the financial support mandated by state law.

Bennett said the request must be submitted to the state by Oct. 1. That will be followed by a site visit to verify the parish qualifies for a third judge.

The final step will be to present it to the Legislature next year for approval.

Bennett said the dockets are overcrowded, causing delays in cases coming to trial. He said both judges work hard to set the dockets and try to get cases to trial as soon as possible. A third judge would allow those cases to go through the system much quicker.

Bennett said one thought is to make the third judge a “family court,” to hear divorces, family disputes and juvenile offenses. A courtroom for family court would not have to be as large.

A third courtroom will have to be located outside of the courthouse, Bennett said.

A proposal to renovate the third floor of the courthouse with a tax election will be scrapped due to the expected economic impact of COVID.