NAME: : Greg Gerard Guidry
YOUR CAMPAIGN WEB ADDRESS: : http://www.judgeguidry.com
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PUBLICATION:
Address: P.O. Box 1729, Metairie, LA 70004
Phone: 504-452-9202
FAX: 504-467-4426
Email: : christycan@bellsouth.net
PARTY AFFILIATION: Republican
PROFESSION: Judge/attorney
PRESENT EMPLOYER/POSITION: Judge, Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION: Juris Doctorate, 1985, Louisiana State University, selected for the Law Review on the basis of grades, inducted into the Order of the Coif (an honor society reserved for the top 10% of the graduating class).
APPLICABLE TRAINING: Bachelor of Arts degree, Louisiana State University, 1982, magna cum laude. Completed all course work for the masters in Judicial Studies sponsored by the National Judicial College.
CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Federal prosecutor with the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, former Board member for Louisiana Catholic Charities, Rotarian, President of the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Judge's Association, President of The Judge John C. Boutall American Inn of Court, Fellow with the Louisiana Bar Foundation
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS: Lifelong member of the Republican Party, elected to two terms on the Jefferson Parish Republican Executive Committee, former legal counsel for the Jefferson Parish Political Action Committee
1. What Courts have you served on in Louisiana and how long have you served on each?
Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Fifth Circuit, two years
24th Judicial District Court, six years
2. Have you ever been subject to disciplinary action by the Louisiana Bar Association, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel or the Judiciary Commission? If yes, please explain.
No
3. Would you support a merit system for selecting some or all judges as opposed to the current election system? Why or why not?
I support changes to our judicial selection process which would increase confidence in the Louisiana justice system. Our current election system has caused many Louisiana citizens to believe that our courts are not fair and impartial. The greatest contributor to this perception is the high cost of campaigns and campaign contributions. Through campaign committees, judicial candidates accept contributions from large numbers of contributors. This creates a perception that the candidates are beholden to the contributors. The public funding of judicial elections would remove this appearance of bias without depriving the citizenry of the opportunity to select their own judges. In my view, this would be preferable to eliminating elections by creating a selection system which would continue to involve politics, albeit of a different nature. Citizens should not give up their right to directly select judges through elections unless they are convinced that an alternative process would be beyond political manipulation and lead to better results.
Our courts are the last resort for people to resolve their disputes. Citizens cannot be blamed for losing hope if they believe the justice system is unfair and not completely honest. I believe that this loss of hope has caused many people and businesses to leave Louisiana over many decades. We have lost good people and badly needed jobs. These facts alone warrant significant changes in our current election system.
4. What are you going to do to ensure that campaign contributions by supporters do not influence the outcome of Supreme Court opinions?
Quite simply, those who contribute to my campaign, or support my candidacy, should not expect any favorable treatment as a result of their support. Conversely, those who have not supported me, and those who have supported my opponents through contributions or otherwise, should have absolutely no fear of retaliation or anything less than fairness in my court. I made statements similar to these when I was first sworn in as a district court judge eight years ago, and they have served as my guiding philosophy through my years on the bench. Judges must set aside their personal beliefs, prejudices, likes or dislikes in deciding cases. Their decisions must be based solely upon the applicable law and the evidence properly presented in the proceeding. Anything less is a complete violation of a judge's moral, ethical, and legal obligations. In every human endeavor, there are supporters and detractors. The integrity of our system of justice requires that judges be strong enough to resist the temptation to award supporters and punish detractors. I have never done so and will never do so as a Louisiana Supreme Court Justice.
5. Do you believe judicial elections in Louisiana should be publicly funded? Why or why not?
See number 3 above.
6. The State Legislature has enacted laws limiting some types of cases and some monetary awards. Do you believe this type of legislation improves justice?
I support the ethics laws proposed by Governor Jindal and enacted by the legislature. There is no reason why judges should not be bound by ethical requirements as strict as those imposed upon other elected officials. Judges should also use the option of recusal in cases where their fairness and lack of bias could reasonably be questioned.
Justice is improved when judges understand and respect their role in government. Judges should accept the laws enacted by the legislature, unless they are unconstitutional, and resist the temptation to substitute their own opinions. I am against judicial activism and judges legislating from the bench. Judges should accept the law as created by the legislature and apply it to the facts in the cases they consider. Legislation limiting some types of cases or monetary awards is the culmination of policy decisions made by legislators and executives duly elected by the voters, who will judge their representatives by their votes and actions. A judge may have a personal opinion concerning policy issues or legislation, but he, or she, must be able to put aside these personal beliefs and accept the law as enacted as long as it does not violate the constitution. Injustices in our society are often created by judges who either do not understand their role and boundaries, or refuse to accept them.
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