Baton Rouge Judge asks not to be censured by Alan Sayre, Associated Press Writer, printed April 15, 1995 Times PicayuneA judge who failed to report campaign contributions and wrote a letter on behalf of criminal defendant made innocent mistakes and should not be censured, the Louisiana Supreme
Court was told this week. But an attorney for a judicial oversight group said Oswald Decuir, a judge on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in Baton Rouge and a former state senator, should be publicly reprimanded by a higher court.
Decuir admitted to four violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct that were investigated by the Louisiana Judiciary Commission, a disciplinary committee of attorneys, judges and citizens. The commission forwarded its report to the
high court with the sensor recommendation. The Supreme Court decided to reject the recommendation, support it or impose a stiffer penalty, such as suspension or removal from the bench. Censure would not affect Decuir's term on
the court. The commission cited four violations against Decuir, who was elected to the 3rd Circuit in 1992:
- Decuir failed to disclose campaign contributions of $2,300 to his judicial campaign, as required by law.
- Decuir wrote a letter to a federal judge asking for a lenient sentence for Vincent Sotile, who pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a scheme to bribe a federal judge.
- After taking his court seat in 1992, Decuir located his local office for the court at this old law office. His former law partner, who was identified Wednesday as Decuir's son, Scott moved directly across the hall. For
eight months, the two used the same post office box and shared the court's telephone system, secretary, office supplies and library.
- Decuir hired a law clerk for the 3rd Circuit who also worked as a contractor for a private law firm. The clerk did legal research for Decuir on a case in which the firm represented an appellant.
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