Louisiana

Some Louisiana justices will take the money and run

Published

2 years ago

July 29, 2024

Some Louisiana justices will take the money and run

Louisiana lawmakers this year decided to give judges a one-time pay bump, similar to what they gave public school teachers, but with one significant distinction: Teachers will get a $2,000 stipend; judges will get from roughly $15,000 to almost $17,700 each.

Lemme say right up front that I believe the vast majority of Louisiana’s judges, like the vast majority of teachers, deserve better pay.

Ah, there’s the rub.

Clancy DuBos

Photo by Chris Granger / The Times-Picayune

The recent stipend that legislators gave to judges was intended to be paid out over the course of the current fiscal year, as the money is earned — similar to how teachers have received their non-recurring stipends in recent years.

But six of the seven Louisiana Supreme Court justices decided to take their stipends in one lump sum — in advance — this week. Worse, the six justices (all except Chief Justice John Weimer) decreed that all other judges must do likewise or forfeit the stipend altogether. And most galling of all, two of the justices will leave the court in the coming months, and thus pocket a full year’s stipend for no more than a half year’s work.

The decision to jam the lower court judges came in response to a request from several of them to do the right thing and take the stipend incrementally, after it is earned, which is what common sense and the Louisiana Constitution require.

In effect, the six justices are forcing lower court judges to join their money grab in order to give themselves cover, the law be damned.

Public opinion of the judiciary is already low. The six Supremes’ decision to take the money and run will only make things worse.

One-time “bonuses” to Louisiana public employees are outlawed by our state constitution — unless the payments are made after future services are rendered. They cannot be extra compensation for past services already rendered and paid for.

That’s not my opinion. It’s from a 2010 Louisiana Attorney General’s opinion, citing a landmark Louisiana Supreme Court decision known as the Cabela’s case. It’s why teachers get their stipends periodically, typically after each semester.

It’s also what lawmakers intended when they voted to give the judges a pay bump.

“The legislative intent was to spread it out over the year, but I guess we should have been more specific in the language,” state Rep. Jack McFarland, R-Winnfield, told The Times-Picayune | The Advocate. McFarland chairs the House Appropriations Committee and authored the bill that included the stipend.

Lawmakers also added a condition for judges receiving the stipend: participation in a “workpoint study” designed track the workloads and output of judicial districts and potentially individual judges. The study would help lawmakers decide which courts need to be expanded and which should be reduced in size.

Which explains why some judges don’t want to see such a study happen.

State Rep. Jerome “Zee” Zeringue, R-Houma, has pushed for a workpoint study for years, to no avail. Zeringue, who previously chaired the appropriations panel for four years, confirmed McFarland’s comment on legislators’ intent regarding the stipend being paid out periodically.

The justices are not the only ones flouting the clear legislative intent, however. Gov. Jeff Landry line-item vetoed the workpoint study requirement — but left the stipend intact.

That means taxpayers will foot the roughly $6 million cost of the judicial stipend, but we’ll never know which judges actually earn the extra dough. We can, however, identify some who definitely won’t earn it.

Associate Supreme Court Justice James Genovese will pocket $15,280 up front but leave the court by mid-September, when he will become Landry’s hand-picked president of Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. By leaving early, Genovese will technically earn less than 20% of the stipend. He’ll also will get a handsome pay raise at Northwestern, plus housing and other perks, on top of his enhanced judicial retirement.

Associate Justice Scott Crichton likewise will take the same $15,280 in advance but not serve past Dec. 31, when his current term expires. Crichton has already reached the mandatory retirement age of 70. He’ll earn only half of his stipend.

Several other judges likewise are set to receive the full stipend but only work half a year.

It’s a shame that the avarice of a few jurists will reflect badly on all judges, most of whom work hard to uphold the notion of an independent judiciary. They deserve better.

The Legislature, through the Joint Legislative Budget Committee, should correct this abuse by ensuring that judges who rightly decline to take the up-front money still get it periodically, as the law requires, after they’ve earned it.

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Louisiana

Louisiana Lottery Powerball, Pick 3 results for March 2, 2026

Published

9 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

The Louisiana Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big.

Here’s a look at March 2, 2026, results for each game:

Winning Powerball numbers from March 2 drawing

02-17-18-38-62, Powerball: 20, Power Play: 2

Check Powerball payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from March 2 drawing

3-9-9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from March 2 drawing

4-1-1-0

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 5 numbers from March 2 drawing

0-5-2-9-5

Check Pick 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All Louisiana Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $600. For prizes over $600, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at Louisiana Lottery offices. Prizes of over $5,000 must be claimed at Lottery office.

By mail, follow these instructions:

Sign and complete the information on the back of your winning ticket, ensuring all barcodes are clearly visible (remove all scratch-off material from scratch-off tickets).
Photocopy the front and back of the ticket (except for Powerball and Mega Millions tickets, as photocopies are not accepted for these games).
Complete the Louisiana Lottery Prize Claim Form, including your telephone number and mailing address for prize check processing.
Photocopy your valid driver’s license or current picture identification.

Mail all of the above in a single envelope to:

Louisiana Lottery Headquarters

555 Laurel Street

Baton Rouge, LA 70801

To submit in person, visit Louisiana Lottery headquarters:

555 Laurel Street, Baton Rouge, LA 70801, (225) 297-2000.

Hours: 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at Louisiana Lottery.

When are the Louisiana Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 9:59 p.m. CT Monday, Wednesday and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 10 p.m. CT Tuesday and Friday.
Pick 3, Pick 4 and Pick 5: Daily at 9:59 p.m. CT.
Easy 5: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.
Lotto: 9:59 p.m. CT Wednesday and Saturday.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Louisiana editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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Louisiana

National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months

Published

21 hours ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

National Guard deployment in New Orleans extended for six months

NEW ORLEANS — The Louisiana National Guard announced Monday that 120 troops will remain deployed in New Orleans through August.

The six-month extension comes after 350 Guard members deployed to New Orleans in late December, in the run-up to New Year’s and other high-profile events like the Sugar Bowl. The troops, which had mainly clustered in the city’s historic French Quarter, had been scheduled to depart in the aftermath of Mardi Gras.

New Orleans is one of several Democrat-run cities, such as Washington and Memphis, Tennessee, where the federal government deployed armed troops under the administration of President Donald Trump. Hundreds of federal agents also converged on Louisiana in December as part of a separate immigration crackdown in and around New Orleans.

During his State of the Union address last week, Trump touted the deployment in New Orleans as a “big success.” In January, Trump credited the troops with reducing the city’s violent crime within a week of their deployment. City police data shows violent crime rates have significantly declined over the past three years in parallel with national trends.

According to a press statement from the Louisiana National Guard, the remaining guard members will serve as a “visible presence to deter criminal activity in New Orleans.”

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, a Democrat who initially opposed the deployment, said that the troops would benefit the city in the coming weeks. She pointed out that National Guard troops had assisted the city during last year’s Mardi Gras in the aftermath of a vehicle-ramming attack in the French Quarter that killed 14 people on New Year’s Day.

“I continue to support the partnership with the LA National Guard to assist in our major events and there are several coming up in the next few weeks,” Moreno said in a statement.

While Moreno did not address which events she referred to, visitors flock to New Orleans in the spring for events like the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival.

Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican and staunch Trump ally, requested the deployment of the National Guard last September, citing rising violent crime rates in New Orleans despite the data showing crime was down.

“This continued deployment will help us combat violence in New Orleans and other parts of Louisiana,” Landry wrote on the social platform X on Monday, noting Louisiana had also sent National Guard troops to Washington, D.C., last year.

Kate Kelly, a spokesperson for Landry, said the federal government would cover the cost of the extended deployment. She did not respond to a question about whether Guard members would be deployed outside New Orleans.

Maj. Gen. Thomas Friloux, adjutant general of the Louisiana National Guard, said in a statement the troops had already worked closely with other city, state and federal agencies to improve public safety during a stretch of high-profile events in the city, including the flood of visitors over Mardi Gras and the city’s carnival season.

“We remain committed to those partnerships as we continue supporting efforts to keep the City of New Orleans safe for residents and visitors,” Friloux said.

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Louisiana

Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases

Published

1 day ago

March 2, 2026

Press Room

Jury selection begins Monday in one of Louisiana’s largest auto insurance fraud cases

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Jury selection begins Monday in what prosecutors describe as one of the largest auto insurance fraud cases in Louisiana history, with two local attorneys set to stand trial on charges that include fraud and obstruction of justice.

Attorneys Vanessa Motta and Jason Giles are accused in an alleged scheme in which drivers — referred to as “slammers” — were paid to intentionally crash into 18-wheelers, file injury lawsuits and allow attorneys to collect the settlements. Both have pleaded not guilty.

63 people have been charged in the case. Many have already pleaded guilty. Motta and Giles are being tried together.

Criminal defense attorney Craig Mordock, who is not directly involved in the case but has been following it closely, said the scope of the litigation is significant.

“You have 10 years of personal injury cases and almost… almost a billion dollars in recovery. That’s all at issue,” Mordock said. “So yeah, this could go two to three weeks.”

Motta’s defense team has advanced a narrative that she was manipulated by a co-defendant.

“There is a compelling narrative that’s been advanced by Vanessa Motta’s lawyer in terms of her being manipulated by one of the co-defendants… about being manipulated by him and him having a prior federal conviction for fraud,” Mordock said.

Motta’s team originally claimed she did not know the crashes were staged. In 2024, her team told FOX 8 she is the victim.

Mordock said Giles faces a more difficult defense.

“I don’t see a favorable juror for one of the other lawyer defendants, Jason Giles. There’s not a clear theory of innocence. This is basically a standard white-collar prosecution where knowledge and intent are going to be the issue,” Mordock said.

The case carries what Mordock described as a shadow. In September 2020, key witness Cornelious Garrison was killed in New Orleans four days after his name appeared in an indictment. Garrison’s admitted killer, Ryan Harris, is expected to testify.

The judge in the case is also allowing the slain witness’s recorded descriptions of the alleged scheme to be admitted at trial.

Mordock said Louisiana drivers have a direct stake in the outcome.

“As your average Louisianan, the idea would be you would save… because the people committing this fraud have been wrapped up. The insurance companies are going to know how to look for this,” Mordock said.

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