[StBernard] St. Bernard Parish District Judge Suspended Without Pay

[Westley Annis]

The Louisiana Supreme Court on Tuesday suspended St. Bernard Parish District
Judge Wayne Cresap without pay for 30 days for violating several rules of
judicial conduct during a contentious 2002 ruling on whether to take a
fellow judge off a case.

The sanction on 34th Judicial District Judge Wayne Cresap was recommended
last month by the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, which said he abused his
authority and failed to stay neutral in the hearing on a state motion to
keep Judge Manny Fernandez from presiding over trial of a case brought by
St. Bernard oyster harvesters. 

Cresap, appearing on his own behalf before the Supreme Court last month,
apologized for doing anything that brought the judiciary into disrepute. He
said he had lost control of the recusal hearing but learned from that
experience how to keep it from happening again.