The voters and taxpayers of Lincoln Parish want a straightforward answer to a simple, but extremely important question: Will the next Ruston City Judge stop representing private clients or will he or she continue to work in a private law practice while also serving as a judge?
Add Goff’s answer is clear and has not changed: “If elected, this judgeship will be my only job. I will not continue to handle private clients.”
Another candidate has had numerous opportunities to make the same commitment, including at candidate forums, in advertisements, and most recently in his series of advertorials in the Lincoln Parish Journal.
He has chosen not to.
That other candidate has been an assistant district attorney while also working full time in his private law firm, which he advertises as the “premier personal injury law firm,” handling cases “across the entire northern half of the State of Louisiana.” And now it appears, if elected judge, he intends to continue working in his personal injury practice while being paid by the taxpayers to be a full-time judge.
The other candidate defends his position by stating that the law would require him to recuse himself when any conflicts arise.
In a recent poll, 75 percent of Lincoln Parish voters surveyed said that it was important that the next Ruston City Court Judge work only as a judge, not as a part-time judge who still maintains a private law practice. 16 percent had no opinion on the issue and 9 percent said it was not important. The poll was conducted via phone text during the first week in October by a third party professional survey provider for the campaign.
“No matter how much my opponent continues to downplay the importance of this issue, it is an important issue to the voters and taxpayers of Lincoln Parish,” Goff said. “They want to know if the person they elect as judge will be representing private paying clients at the same time.
“In the other candidate’s recent advertorials, his defense has been to lob personal attacks at me. I am not going to answer that in kind. I’m going to talk about my qualifications for the position and why having a Ruston City Court Judge who also works in private practice is unfair to taxpayers.”
Unlike with district court judges, who are prohibited from practicing law while serving on the bench, Louisiana law has a loophole that permits certain city judges to maintain private law practices. Just because it’s technically legal, doesn’t mean it’s right.
Our recent City Judges, going back over four decades, have taken the honorable position and chosen not to sue people for extra income above the healthy salary the taxpayers are paying them — that shows wisdom and maturity on their part.
The Ruston City Judge is paid essentially the same amount as a District Court Judge — nearly $4000 per week. For that kind of salary, the taxpayers deserve a judge who works for them and no one else, and is not pulled away from the people’s business by meetings with private clients, depositions, and hearings and arguments in other courts across North Louisiana.
Nonetheless, the other candidate has given every indication that he intends to continue to work in his private personal injury practice. We know that because he has not said he won’t.
As far as recusals are concerned, recusal is what a judge does after a conflict already exists. Common sense tells us that the best way to avoid a conflict is not to create one in the first place. Also, Ruston City Court only has one judge, so every recusal means bringing in another judge, who has to be paid. This could also cause people to wait longer for their day in court.
And, the recusal laws would only be in effect if he was acting as a judge, not when he was acting a plaintiff lawyer. Imagine if you were being sued or had some sort of jury trial and the opposing lawyer is also a sitting judge. The judge might never do anything improper, but wouldn’t you worry the juror may feel some pressure, even a little, to rule for the judge/lawyer’s client even if the evidence didn’t support it? If a judge doesn’t also have a private practice, the public never has to worry about such issues.
And, don’t be confused by the phrase “full-time.”
Calling yourself “full-time” because you give out your phone number so people can get a hold of you while you are working at your private law practice is not undivided attention, and it doesn’t remove those conflicts and distractions which take way from serving the taxpayers.
Goff has practiced law for 34 years, nearly three times as long as the other candidate, and has handled cases in Ruston City Court for more than 30 years. He has also served as a Hearing Committee Chair for the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board, presiding over evidentiary hearings involving allegations of attorney misconduct.
“My commitment hasn’t changed,” Goff said. “If I am elected, I will close my practice, and being your judge will be my only job. I have put that in writing. I have stated that in all the candidate forum live events. My opponent has not. Justice is not part time. And neither will I be.”
Paid for by Add Goff for City Judge campaign.
The above information has been provided by a political campaign. Unless otherwise noted, the Lincoln Parish Journal publishing staff does not endorse specific candidates or ballot measures.
