NEW ORLEANS (WGNO)— The Mayor recall continues to be controversial—especially now with media reports that Judge Jennifer Medley signed the recall petition.
Judge Medley was the judge who rules to move 25,000 names from active to inactive in the voter rolls in Orleans Parish. This lowered the threshold of the number of signatures needed for the recall.
Orleans Parish Civil District Court Judge for Division F—Judge Jennifer Medley is raising eyebrows now that media reports reveal that she signed the Mayor recall petition.
“At a minimum she should have disclosed that she signed the petition because she was handling a case that was the subject matter of the recall,” Cliff Cardone said.
WGNO legal expert Cliff Cardone says this gives the appearance of bias and impartiality especially since she was the Judge who approved lowering the threshold for the number of signatures the recall would ultimately need.
Judge Medley approved a deal with the Secretary of State and recall organizers in which 25,000 voter’s names would be moved from the active rolls to inactive rolls. By doing so, the recall would need 5,000 fewer signatures.
“It is clear she had some interest in the outcome or else she wouldn’t have signed the petition,” Cardone said.
Cardone said without Judge Medley recusing herself, it now could get messy.
“I think there’s plenty of grounds out there for an appeal by either side no matter what the outcome is,” he said.
Mayor Cantrell’s attorney Marion Floyd said in a statement:
“We have not seen the proof of Judge Medley’s signature on a recall petition. If the story is accurate and true, we find it very disturbing that there wasn’t full disclosure, immediately when the case was allotted to her section. It is important that there is full disclosure to maintain the confidence in the voting public.”
We reached out to Judge Medley for a comment and have not heard back yet. Still, Cardone says this recall faces a long road ahead.
“Will delay the process unless everyone asks for expedited hearings, expedited appeals or else this will get in a legal quagmire of delay, delay, delay,” Cardone said.
In court, Jennifer Medley kept reiterating that the case wasn’t about the recall but the accuracy of the voter rolls.