§997.  Program of judicial evaluation

A.  The director shall develop and implement a program of judicial evaluation to aid in the performance of his duties.

B.  The judicial evaluation shall focus on three areas of judicial performance including competence, productivity, and demeanor.  It shall include consideration of the following:

(1)  Industry and promptness in adhering to schedules.

(2)  Tolerance, courtesy, patience, attentiveness, and self-control in dealing with litigants, witnesses, and counsel and in presiding over adjudications.

(3)  Legal skills and knowledge of the law and new legal developments.

(4)  Analytical talents and writing abilities.

(5)  Settlement skills.

(6)  Quantity, nature, and quality of caseload disposition.

(7)  Impartiality and conscientiousness.

C.  The director shall develop standards and procedures for the judicial evaluation which shall include taking comments from randomly selected litigants and lawyers who have appeared before the administrative law judge under evaluation.

D.  The judicial evaluation shall include a review of the methods used by the administrative law judge.  The judicial evaluation shall not include a review of any result as determined by an administrative law judge in any adjudication.

E.  Before implementing any action based on the findings of the judicial evaluation, the director shall discuss the findings and the proposed action with the affected judge.

F.  The judicial evaluation and supporting documents shall be confidential and shall not be subject to open records provisions of R.S. 44:1 et seq.

Acts 1995, No. 739, §2, eff. Oct. 1, 1996; Acts 2003, No. 956, §1, eff. July 1, 2003.

NOTE:  See Acts 1995, No. 947, §8 and No. 739, §§3, 4.