Judge Genovese talks Louisiana’s court system

Let’s put one thing to rest, Judge James T. Genovese doesn’t care for judicial activism.
But, he cares a lot about Louisiana’s court system.
The system is bilateral, meaning it mirrors the federal court system, but there is one distinct difference.
“On the federal side, judges are appointed for life, you know that,” he said Tuesday as he spoke to the Rotary Club of Crowley. “On the state side, we are elected. Key distinction.”
That difference is big to Genovese and makes judges in the state of Louisiana conscious to the “fact that we answer to the people.”
Meanwhile, members of the higher up federal courts “ascend into heaven and sit at the right hand of the father.
“And if you don’t like what they do, then to hell with you, do something about it.”
He referenced how less than a handful of federal judges have been impeached over the years, telling to how powerless really the general person is to “do something about it.”
Listening to Genovese speak, it’s obvious how passionate he is about the judicial system. Case in point, when talking to the club, Genovese spoke emphatically about it.
“The last battle of civilization will be fought in a court room,” he said.
He alluded to how the Supreme Court of the United States makes the final decision on so many things.
As he continued speaking about the Louisiana court system, Genovese spoke also talked about the court of appeals and his circuit, the 3rd Circuit.
The 3rd Circuit is comprised of over 20 parishes, or 3/5 of the state’s population at 1.2 million people. It has 12 judges in total, three of which reside in Lake Charles including Chief Judge Ulysses Gene Thibodeaux. The remaining nine are scattered into satellite offices inside the district, including Genovese in Opelousas.
Those judges meet to discuss appealed case and “grade papers” of lower court judges.
Typically, the judges meet in three-person panels, with each holding oral arguments of five to eight cases per docket. But with three judges, that can equal 15 to 24 cases.
Genovese says the judges know how important their jobs are as 93 percent of their judgments are final.
Despite the fact that most panels are only three judges, sometimes there are panels that include five, seven and, of course, up to all 12 judges.
It’s important to listen to the discussion along the way, according to Genovese as a good oral argument can make a judge reconsider his or her position and change their mind.