2 Judges Face Sanctions For Allegedly Mishandling Cases

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Two state judges in the 18th Judicial District are facing possible sanctions by the Louisiana  Supreme Court on allegations they mishandled cases involving criminal defendants.

The Advocate reports the Judiciary Commission has recommended District Judge J. Robin Free be removed from the bench for a year without pay and pay the commission $11,098 in fines. It has also asked that the Louisiana  Supreme Court suspend District Judge James Best for 30 days and order he pay the Judiciary Commission $1,610 in fines.

Both judges are being represented by New Orleans attorney Steven Scheckman.

Both Free and Best preside over cases in the 18th Judicial District, which covers the parishes of West Baton Rouge, Iberville and Pointe Coupee. They're set to appear before the Supreme Court May 3.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://theadvocate.com

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