ANY JUSTICE FOR THE VICTIMS OF THIS LUDICROUS "JUDGE"?

And how come it took years to pull her up? No mystery: She's both black and female -- in a favored class on two counts



James Williams was ordered to "go to Citi Trends and pick out what you want" as a court-ordered sentence for automobile infractions. Another man pleaded guilty to not having car insurance and was ordered to anger management. An unidentified man was told to get an inspection sticker for his vehicle when he pleaded guilty to simple battery. And another guy was sentenced to the UAW Hall for an unrelated criminal offense. The alleged nonsensical decisions are findings of the ongoing investigation into allegations that City Judge LaLeshia Walker-Alford misused prescription drugs, which resulted in her being suspended from the bench.

The Supreme Court of Louisiana, acting on a recommendation by the state Judiciary Commission, this week ordered her off the bench while it considers additional disciplinary action that could include further suspension or removal. Court documents say commissioners believe Alford is addicted to prescription drugs, which has adversely affected her conduct on the bench.

"Right now this is the only dealings of the emergency aspect to get her off the bench with pay," said Valerie Willard, press secretary for the office of the judicial administrator. "Other action is pending further investigation. "I suppose there will be another commission recommendation to the court based on the additional facts and conclusions of law. Once the entirety of the case is submitted, the judge can argue her case." Willard doesn't expect the case to appear on the Supreme Court's calendar before September.

The case arose from numerous complaints of excessive absenteeism from her court, canceled court sessions without prior notice and impairment to the extent that she was inarticulate, incoherent or fell asleep.

The Judiciary Commission found evidence that Alford "had abused, and continued to abuse, prescription pain medications. The documents and sworn statements presented convinced the commission members of the probability that excessive use of prescribed medications" had affected Alford's judicial conduct, the findings said. City Court's senior judge, Charles Kelly, in his sworn statement to the commission, cited that a fellow judge decided to keep a running tab on the number of days Alford was absent from the bench in 2004 and they came up with about 40 days, not including time taken off to attend conferences.

Attempts by The Times to reach Shreveport City Court officials on Thursday were not successful. Calls made to Clerk of Court Virginia Hester, clerk staffers Jackie Watson and Rita Jackson and Kelly were not returned.

Alford and her attorneys deny the accusations but admit to her use of medications that caused sedation, saying that she had suffered from fibromyalgia, pneumonia and asthma for which the medications were prescribed. A clinical psychopharmacologist testified that, based upon the judge's medical and prescription records spanning August 2003 through March 2005, she was regularly consuming the "Trinity Cocktail," a combination of the prescription drug Xanax, Soma and Lortab. The expert reiterated his view that Alford's case was the most severe he had seen in terms of volume of prescription drugs.

According to court documents, the doctor said Alford was "doctor shopping," going from one doctor to another, getting multiple prescriptions. The judge had seen 28 different physicians over a four- or five-year period.

Commissioners suggested """" during a period of interim disqualifications """" that Alford seek treatment for her prescription problem as well as for other problems that may have been caused by her longtime drug usage, but she failed to meet the deadline she agreed to on Feb. 17. The judge went forward with recommendation for immediate disqualification and the court disqualified her Tuesday.

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