House Bill No. 195, introduced by Representative Pierre, amends the criteria for determining the chief judge of city courts in Louisiana, particularly those with two divisions. The bill specifies that the chief judge will be the judge with the longest continuous service in the city court, or if both judges have served equally long, the one with the longest overall service in any court. If both judges are new or have equal service, the chief judge will be determined by the most years as a licensed attorney in Louisiana, or by age if necessary. Additionally, the bill allows for the selection of the chief judge by agreement among the judges.

The bill also clarifies the concept of continuous service, detailing specific circumstances that can interrupt it, such as removal or suspension by the Louisiana Supreme Court, non-reelection, or taking a leave of absence for 30 days or more without agreement from other judges. If continuous service is interrupted, it will restart upon reinstatement, reelection, or return from a lengthy leave. However, leaves of absence shorter than 30 days will not interrupt continuous service, although those days will not count towards the judge's total years of service. The chief judge will remain in position until resignation or retirement, with provisions for a temporary chief judge in case of incapacity.

Statutes affected:
HB195 Original: 13:1878(B)
HB195 Engrossed: 13:1878(B)