Judge Recuses Herself from New Orleans Mayor’s Recall Petition Case
In the ongoing recall effort against New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, the judge who ruled that the signature threshold should be lowered has recused herself from the case.
Lawyers for all parties involved have confirmed that Judge Jennifer Medley is asking the Supreme Court to appoint an ad hoc or acting judge to preside over the matter if it goes any further.
The reason for her recusal is that Judge Medley reportedly signed the recall petition against the mayor and did not disclose it during a hearing earlier this month when she approved an agreement between the Secretary of State and recall organizers.
Lowering the threshold of signatures was needed to trigger an election to oust Mayor Cantrell, going from just under 50,000 signatures to just under 45,000.
Last week, the mayor’s legal team challenged Judge Medley’s ruling, and it remains to be seen how the active number of voters will affect the case.
If the matter ever ends up before Judge Medley again, she plans to ask the Supreme Court to appoint another judge to preside over it.
However, the recall petition may be over as the signature count of 44,900 is not yet collected and due at the governor’s office on March 22nd.
The situation remains fluid, and there are many moving parts, but lawyers for all parties involved have confirmed that Judge Medley is recusing herself from the case.
