Chief New Orleans Criminal Court Judge Disqualified From Election Over Alleged Missing Tax Return

Chief New Orleans Criminal Court Judge Disqualified From Election Over Alleged Missing Tax Return

NEW ORLEANS, La. — The chief judge of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court has been disqualified from seeking reelection after a court challenge alleged she failed to file a required Louisiana income tax return.

Magistrate Judge Juana Marine Lombard, who currently serves as chief judge of the criminal court, was disqualified Monday, August 17, from appearing on the ballot in this fall’s election.

The challenge was brought by Lombard’s lone opponent, Chanel Robinson DeBose, who alleged that Lombard failed to file her Louisiana state income tax return for the 2023 tax year. At the center of the dispute is a requirement Louisiana candidates certify when qualifying for office: that they have filed their state and federal income tax returns, or properly filed for extensions, for each of the previous five tax years. DeBose challenged Lombard’s certification after a Louisiana Department of Revenue letter reportedly indicated the agency had no record of Lombard filing a 2023 state income tax return.

On Monday, Civil District Court Judge Veronica Henry ruled that Lombard should be disqualified from the election. But the fight isn’t necessarily over — Henry stayed the disqualification order, meaning the ruling will not immediately take effect while Lombard is given an opportunity to appeal. That distinction is important: Lombard has been disqualified by the trial court, but the decision could still be reviewed and potentially overturned by an appellate court.

The dispute comes just months after another Orleans Parish judicial candidate faced a remarkably similar fight. Earlier this year, judicial candidate John T. Fuller was disqualified after a challenge alleged he had falsely certified his tax-filing history, and the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal affirmed the trial court’s decision in March. Louisiana election law specifically allows a candidate’s qualifications to be challenged when the candidate allegedly falsely certifies compliance with the tax-filing requirements on a notice of candidacy.

For Lombard, the stakes couldn’t be much higher. She isn’t simply seeking a first term on the bench — Lombard is the sitting Orleans Parish magistrate judge and currently serves as chief judge of Criminal District Court. She was elected to the magistrate seat in 2020.

Now, six years later, whether voters will even get the opportunity to decide if she should remain there could depend on what happens next in the courts. For the moment, the trial court’s ruling is clear: the chief judge has been disqualified from the race. But with the ruling stayed to allow an appeal, the final word on whether Lombard remains on the ballot may still be coming.

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