Take the Judge You Get

The Louisiana Supreme Court publicly reprimanded Baton Rouge lawyer Brian A. Eddington for attempted judge shopping. See In re Brian A. Eddington, No. 2015-B-0629 (La. May 1, 2015). In an effort to get a judge of his choosing, Mr. Eddington filed five nearly identical lawsuits in the same court on the same date. After “obtaining what may have been considered a favorable judge,” he dismissed four of the five suits, and attempted to include the dismissed claims into “the lone remaining action.”

Although the brief per curiam order did not mention it, Louisiana Rule of Professional Conduct 8.4(d) prohibits a lawyer from engaging in conduct “prejudicial to the administration of justice.” See La. R. Prof. Cond. R. 8.4(d). Attempting to “rig” what is required by law to be a random allotment system undoubtedly is conduct that is prejudicial to the fair administration of justice.

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