Indicted Judge Yolanda King, accused of lying about her residency, lists three different addresses during qualifying
Yolanda King fills out her candidate forms for the second time during qualifying for the Nov. 4 election. (Robert McClendon, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune)
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on August 20, 2014 at 5:36 PM, updated August 21, 2014 at 7:40 AM
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Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Yolanda King, who is facing criminal charges that she lied about where she lived when she ran for office in 2013, twice filled out the wrong address on new election documents Wednesday (Aug. 20) as she qualified for the Nov. 4 election.
King, who arrived at the Criminal District Court Clerk's office at 7:15 a.m., was the first to show up to fill out campaign forms.
On the line labeled "domicile," though, she filled in her campaign's post office box. A few hours later, she returned and filled out a second candidate form.
This time, she filled in 420 Loyola Ave.
A short time later, she returned for a third time, accompanied by her lawyer, James Williams. She then filled in the address of a row home on Basinview Drive in eastern New Orleans. The same address is listed on her driver's license.
Each of the affidavits King filled out was made under oath.
King declined to comment, but referred questions to her attorneys.
Williams, her lawyer for civil matters, said in a phone interview that the first time King filled out the qualifying form, she simply misinterpreted the line of the form labeled "domicile." She thought it was calling for the address of her campaign, Williams said.
When she returned to fill out the form a second time, King had reservations about the public having access to her home address, since she handles criminal cases, Williams said. To protect herself, she filled in what she thought was her work address, he said.
The actual address for juvenile court is 421 Loyola Ave.
Asked why she would fill in the court address when the line was marked "domicile," Williams said she thought there might be some exemption for incumbents when it came to disclosing where they live.
Williams said that King ultimately decided there was no way around it and gave her true home address.
A reporter, set up in the back office where candidates were swearing out there election forms, asked a staffer in the clerk's office whether King had discovered the mistakes on her own or whether the office had to call her back and ask for the correct address.
The staffer referred comment to Clerk of Court Arthur Morrell, who admonished the reporter for asking questions to someone other than himself.
When asked the same question, Morrell declined to comment.
The reporter had been examining the candidate forms, including King's.
When Morrell saw that the reporter was looking at the election forms sworn out by the candidates, he ordered the reporter to leave the office.
Morrell later said that he ejected the reporter because he "put my staff on edge."
King was not the only candidate who wrote the wrong address on the domicile line. Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Regina Bartholomew, for example, also filled in her court address erroneously.
King appeared to be the only candidate who made the mistake twice.
A grand jury indicted King in March on charges of executing a false affidavit and filing a false public record. She is accused of lying about where she lived when she ran for office in 2013. Prosecutors say she lived in Slidell at the time. She maintains that she lived then, as now, in eastern New Orleans.
The Louisiana Supreme Court in May suspended King, pending the criminal case.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is trying to do away with her seat altogether. He maintains that juvenile court is overstaffed and successfully pushed through a law this year that allows the juvenile bench to be reduced by two seats.
He's argued that the law allows for King's seat to be abolished due to her suspension.
He filed a lawsuit to that effect in a Baton Rouge court but lost earlier this week.
The case is currently under review in the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.
King, who arrived at the Criminal District Court Clerk's office at 7:15 a.m., was the first to show up to fill out campaign forms.
On the line labeled "domicile," though, she filled in her campaign's post office box. A few hours later, she returned and filled out a second candidate form.
This time, she filled in 420 Loyola Ave.
A short time later, she returned for a third time, accompanied by her lawyer, James Williams. She then filled in the address of a row home on Basinview Drive in eastern New Orleans. The same address is listed on her driver's license.
Each of the affidavits King filled out was made under oath.
King declined to comment, but referred questions to her attorneys.
Williams, her lawyer for civil matters, said in a phone interview that the first time King filled out the qualifying form, she simply misinterpreted the line of the form labeled "domicile." She thought it was calling for the address of her campaign, Williams said.
When she returned to fill out the form a second time, King had reservations about the public having access to her home address, since she handles criminal cases, Williams said. To protect herself, she filled in what she thought was her work address, he said.
The actual address for juvenile court is 421 Loyola Ave.
Asked why she would fill in the court address when the line was marked "domicile," Williams said she thought there might be some exemption for incumbents when it came to disclosing where they live.
Williams said that King ultimately decided there was no way around it and gave her true home address.
A reporter, set up in the back office where candidates were swearing out there election forms, asked a staffer in the clerk's office whether King had discovered the mistakes on her own or whether the office had to call her back and ask for the correct address.
The staffer referred comment to Clerk of Court Arthur Morrell, who admonished the reporter for asking questions to someone other than himself.
When asked the same question, Morrell declined to comment.
The reporter had been examining the candidate forms, including King's.
When Morrell saw that the reporter was looking at the election forms sworn out by the candidates, he ordered the reporter to leave the office.
Morrell later said that he ejected the reporter because he "put my staff on edge."
King was not the only candidate who wrote the wrong address on the domicile line. Orleans Parish Civil District Judge Regina Bartholomew, for example, also filled in her court address erroneously.
King appeared to be the only candidate who made the mistake twice.
A grand jury indicted King in March on charges of executing a false affidavit and filing a false public record. She is accused of lying about where she lived when she ran for office in 2013. Prosecutors say she lived in Slidell at the time. She maintains that she lived then, as now, in eastern New Orleans.
The Louisiana Supreme Court in May suspended King, pending the criminal case.
New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu is trying to do away with her seat altogether. He maintains that juvenile court is overstaffed and successfully pushed through a law this year that allows the juvenile bench to be reduced by two seats.
He's argued that the law allows for King's seat to be abolished due to her suspension.
He filed a lawsuit to that effect in a Baton Rouge court but lost earlier this week.
The case is currently under review in the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal.
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