NAME: Arthur Lee Hunter, Jr.
YOUR CAMPAIGN WEB ADDRESS: http://www.JudgeArthurHunter.com
CONTACT INFORMATION FOR PUBLICATION: Arthur Hunter Campaign
Address: P. O Box 53404, NOLA, 70153
Phone: (504) 919-2868
FAX: (504) 558-8998
Email: alhunter@bellsouth.net
PARTY AFFILIATION: Democrat
PROFESSION: Judge-Criminal District Court-Section "K"
PRESENT EMPLOYER/POSITION:
State of Louisiana - Judge - Criminal District Court, Section "K"
HIGHEST LEVEL OF EDUCATION: Loyola University School of Law JD 1984
APPLICABLE TRAINING:
The Certificate in Judicial Development, General Jurisdiction Trial Skills, National Judicial College
Diploma of Judicial Skills, American Academy of Judicial Education
Diploma of Humanities and Judging, American Academy of Judicial Education
Taught Constitutional Law at the National Judicial College.
CIVIC EXPERIENCE: Mason- Star of Bethlehem Lodge #168
POLITICAL EXPERIENCE AND POLITICAL ORGANIZATION MEMBERSHIPS:
Judges are not allowed to join political organizations.
1. What is the depth of your experience in Criminal District Court? Number of jury trials? Number of judge trials? Magistrate service? District Attorney's office?
I have been a judge for 11 years and I am presently Chief Judge of Criminal District Court. I am also the judge of the Mental Health Court, which provides services to the mentally ill charged with non-violent offenses. I have presided over numerous judge and jury trials.
2. Have you ever been subject to disciplinary action by the Louisiana Bar Association?
No. What was the outcome? N/A Please explain? N/A
3. How will you avoid the public perception that attorney contributions to judicial elections lead to favoritism in judicial rulings?
A judge could recuse himself from a case involving an attorney who contributed to a judge's campaign or a judge could refuse to accept contributions from an attorney who has appeared before the judge.
The Louisiana Supreme Court has established a committee to address this issue and I will adhere to any guidelines formulated.
4. What steps do you think the Criminal District Court system should implement to repair the crime situation in Orleans Parish, both the long-standing, chronic problems and the present escalating situation? Will you initiate these measures from your bench?
As a former New Orleans Police Officer, I patrolled the housing developments as a member of the Urban Squad, and the 7th, 8th, and 9th wards when I was assigned to the 5th District. As a judge I have given 5 life sentences, 314 years in murder cases, 981 years in robbery cases, and 1 life sentence, 131 years in sex crime cases. Louisiana has the highest incarceration rate in the country, with 835 inmates per 100,000 general population. The national rate is 491. Presently, 38,094 people are in prison and we spend 600 million dollars yearly on prisons in Louisiana. I think we are tough on crime, and now we must be smart on crime.
I am working with Home Builders Institute to bring "Operation Reconstruct" to New Orleans. It is a job training program assisting in the effort to rebuild Hurricane devastated housing in the New Orleans region. It is a certificate-based work readings and pre-apprentice training program in the construction trades that serves unemployed and under-employed individuals, including those who will be placed on probation in my court.
Since 2003, an average of 14,000 people have been released from Louisiana prisons, with a recidivism rate from 13% to 50%.
I am working with the Louisiana Department of Labor and Louisiana Department of Corrections to begin a Re-entry Court to provide life skills, educational, job training and job placement services for inmates. Once released, they will be monitored by the court for compliance.
I have also proposed a special criminal court for contractor fraud cases so that these cases can be heard and resolved quickly as people rebuild their homes.
As Chief Judge, I will work towards expanding Mental Health Court, Drug Court, and Domestic Violent Court.
5. Do you favor the consolidation of the civil and criminal courts? Why or why not?
Yes, I believe it would lead to efficiency.
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