District judge candidates talk to local civic clubs

Published 2:00 pm Thursday, October 1, 2015

A referee with a well-rounded education and life experience would make the best district judge, the three candidates told the New Iberia Optimist Club and New Iberia Rotary Club on Wednesday.

Lawyers Eddie Guidry of St. Martinville, Nick LaRocca of Morgan City and Lewis Pitman of Loreauville were guests at the clubs’ joint luncheon meeting at the Ramada Inn. They are vying for the Division D state district judge’s seat to replace the late District Judge James McClelland, who retired this year due to illness and died March 15, only weeks after his retirement.

Candidates were given tight windows of a minute to respond to questions previously selected by members of both clubs. Each also were given a 90-second opening statement and two-minute closing statement.

With a majority of the caseload, both criminal and civil, being in Iberia Parish, club members asked about the location of the new judge’s office. Three are in St. Martinville, two in New Iberia and, when McClelland was in office, three were in Franklin. Each member said they were at the mercy of the judicial administrator and seated judges. None could guarantee his office would be in New Iberia.

“I’d really like to have the office in Loreauville,” Pitman, 60, quipped, which drew some chuckles from the audience. “It appears that Iberia would be the logical choice, but  I will defer to the judges.”

“This is a circuit judgeship,” LaRocca, 62, said, where all judges spend a week in each parish and another week at their office. “Accessibility is the important thing.”

All three candidates emphasized the importance of working well with other agencies, such as the district attorney’s office and law enforcement agencies.

“You have to have a good working relationship with the DA’s office,” Guidry, 59, said, because not every case goes to trial and plea bargains are worked out.

LaRocca said although a good working relationship with the other agencies is important, each office has its separate and distinct roles and must operate independently.

Doing the right thing in those roles is essential, Pitman told the group.

The 16th Judicial District Drug Court is supported by each candidate, though there were some slight differences in how to approach it. As a public defender who helped form the drug court, Pitman said the intervention program is important. The threat of jail time, and carrying out the threat when needed, can be effective.

LaRocca said he thought jail time was essential for the people who go through drug court, suggesting the program effort to help them remain clean and out of the criminal justice system would be better appreciated.

“But the program needs to be reviewed and examined,” he said.

Guidry said, however, the drug court works, though there should be a continuous effort to reduce the recidivism rate.

Pitman closed with an emphasis on why drug court was so important. He had brothers die because of drugs, so he understood both sides of prosecution and victim.

Criminals who commit white collar crimes were thought to be given more lenient treatment, according to the clubs’ question, but the candidates agreed that the threat of jail could be more motivating for those convicted of such crimes to pay restitution.

The 16th Judicial District consists of Iberia, St. Martin and St. Mary parishes. Election Day is Oct. 24. Early voting will be held Oct. 10 and 11-17.