Janice Clark

From Judgepedia

Share this Judge:

Janice Clark
Current Court Information:
19th Judicial District, Louisiana
Service:
Active:	1993 - 2014
Past position:	Private practice lawyer
Past term:	1979 - 1992
Personal History
Law School:	Southern University Law Center

Janice G. Clark is a judge of the 19th Judicial District, Division D in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. She was elected to this position on October 3, 1992 and was re-elected without opposition the following September.^[1] Her current term expires on December 31, 2014.^[2] She was also appointed Chief Judge in 1999.^[3][4]

Education

Clark graduated from Southern University Law Center in 1976.^[3]

Legal career

Prior to joining the court, Clark ran a private law practice from 1979-1992 and served as a staff attorney for the Louisiana Legislative Council and Bayou Lafourche Legal Services, in Donaldsonville, LA. She was elected to the District Court in 1993.^[3]

Clark v. Edwards

Clark filed a lawsuit in 1986. The ensuing case, Clark v. Edwards, resulted in greater representation of African-Americans in the state's judicial system. It also called for the establishment of controversial subdistricts of the courts.^[3]

Public records ruling

In March 2009, Clark ruled that the Louisiana Division of Administration's and the Louisiana Economic Development Department responded to a request for public records under the Louisiana Public Records Act in a way that amounted to "deliberate indifference and ineptitude ris[ing] to [the] level of arbitrary and capricious".^[5] The state agencies indicated they would appeal the decision to the First Circuit Court of Appeal.

Board of Ethics complaint

On February 14, 2002, the Lousiana Board of Ethics determined that Clark had "violated the restrictions on the use of campaign funds in the CFDA when she used campaign funds for personal use. The Board acknowledges that the funds were repaid to the campaign, but a violation occurred when the funds were initially loaned and used for inappropriate expenses." Based on this determination, the Board of Ethics fined Clark $5,000.^[4]

The Board of Ethics made this determination after an investigation in which it determined that Clark had borrowed $32,000 from her 1992 and 1996 campaign funds and spent the money "to enhance her personal appearance and wardrobe."^[4]

External links

• East Baton Rouge Clerk of Courts Website
• The Times-Picayune, "Louisiana judge halts qualifying for state GOP committee candidates," November 10, 2011

References

v • d • e District courts in Louisiana 1 • 2 • 3 • 4 • 5 • 6 • 7 • 8 • 9 • 10 • 11 • 12 • 13 • 14 • 15 • 16 • 17 • 18 • 19 • 20 • 21 • 22 • 23 • 24 • 25 • 26 • 27 • 28 • 29 • 30 • 31 • 32 • 33 • 34 • 35 • 36 • 37 • 38 • 39 • 40 • 41 • 42