by TChris

Former Louisiana Judge C. Hunter King lost his job after he threatened courthouse employees with the loss of their jobs if they didn't sell tickets to a campaign fund-raiser. When his court reporter complained to the Judiciary Commission, King denied the charges under oath, characterizing the court reporter as a disgruntled ex-employee. The lie fell apart when he was confronted with "recorded tapes of staff meetings during which he spoke frankly of campaign fund raising on court time." King, suddenly remorseful, asked the State Supreme Court to give him a second chance, but the court unanimously decided to remove him from his judgeship.

Now King is being prosecuted for perjury as a result of his false testimony before the Judicial Commission, but the details of that prosecution have become difficult to unearth. Judge Julian Parker, presiding in former Judge King's case, issued a gag order and took the unusual step of sealing the court file. Parker gave no explanation for the order, and the computerized court docket doesn't reflect a request by any party for an order sealing the file. Gag orders sometimes promote a fair trial, but court files are public records, and public scrutiny of the judicial system serves as a check against judicial abuses. Sealing court files is a rare practice in Orleans Parish, a practice that hasn't been followed in other high profile cases. Why is Judge Parker treating the case of former Judge King differently?