Judge who OK’d lowering bar on LaToya Cantrell recall signed the petition, didn’t disclose it

Gabe Roth, executive director of Fix the Court, a national judicial watchdog group, said Medley’s signature on the petition demonstrates “bias in favor of a party.” That meant she should have recused herself when the case landed in her courtroom.

“I as a reasonable person would think there’s bias given the signing of that petition,” Roth said.

“If I’m a litigant on whatever the opposite side of the recall is, I know because of public record where this judge comes out, and I don’t want her ruling on anything related to the recall campaign.”

Medley should have disclosed her support for the recall, but under Louisiana law, nothing required it, said Lafayette lawyer Clare Roubion, who often represents judges accused of misconduct.

Medley’s signature doesn’t fit any of the specific scenarios that the Legislature laid out in 2021 for when judges must disclose potential conflicts or bias, Roubion said.

“There’s nothing on its face improper about her having signed the petition, and having just signed the petition doesn’t make her so invested or interested in the outcome that she couldn’t be fair or impartial,” Roubion said.

Recall organizers sued Ardoin, a Republican who is elected statewide, on Feb. 16 in a case that originally included Orleans Registrar Sandra Wilson as a co-defendant. She was dismissed from the case, leaving Medley as the only remaining New Orleans official involved when she signed off on the deal.

A lawyer for Wilson declined comment. Lawyers for the recall campaign didn’t immediately comment.

Medley, 46, is serving her first six-year term on the civil court. Backed in large part by garbage magnate Sidney Torres IV, she won a bruising election fight in 2020 to unseat veteran Judge Chris Bruno for the Division F seat.

“We have not seen the proof of Judge Medley’s signature on a recall petition,” said Cantrell attorney Marion Floyd. “If the story is indeed accurate and true, we find it very disturbing that there wasn’t full disclosure, immediately, when the case was allotted to her section.”