BGR warns Orleans Parish court consolidation bills could have ‘dire consequences’

By Jennifer Crockett

Source: Fox 8

April 20, 2026

NEW ORLEANS (WVUE) – Bills to consolidate Orleans Parish courts and reduce the number of judges could have “dire consequences,” according to a report released by the Bureau of Governmental Research (BGR).

BGR is raising concerns about risks to public safety, potential violations of constitutional rights and rising costs of justice if HB 911, by Rep. Dixon McMakin, R-Baton Rouge, and SB 217, by Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, become law, as currently written.

“It is possible that we may not need as many judgeships as we have,” said Rebecca Mowbray, president and chief executive officer of BGR. “However, the Legislature is moving forward on this without doing the proper analysis of the case, and that could lead to dire consequences for our community.”

The bills would eliminate nine judge positions and consolidate criminal and civil courts in Orleans Parish based on a court formula.

HB 911 is scheduled for House debate April 21. SB 217 has passed the Senate and is awaiting consideration by the House.

The bills’ authors said their goal is to save millions of dollars and “right size” the trial courts in Orleans Parish, which they said has two to three times the number of judges other parishes have, based on population and case count. They also noted Orleans is the only parish in Louisiana with two court systems.

Gov. Jeff Landry voiced strong support for Orleans court reforms, but BGR argues the formula used to draft these specific bills is flawed.

“A case could have multiple defendants with multiple charges, and that would count as one case filing in Orleans Parish, whereas in other parishes, they would divide up each charge and each defendant separately,” said Paul Rioux, a senior research analyst with BGR.

But BGR said civil cases are often more complex in Orleans Parish. The report shows Orleans presided over 4,000 criminal cases in 2025, and 137 jury trials — more than any other parish in the state. The report found 145 cases were homicides, compared with 21 homicide cases on the docket in Jefferson Parish, which has a larger population than Orleans.

“Delaying justice has a cost beyond just the dollars and cents,” said Rioux.

Mowbray adds that fewer judges in a consolidated court system could put additional strain on the Orleans Parish jail, which the group found is already 99 detainees over capacity. She cites the May 2025 jailbreak, when 10 inmates escaped while not being supervised, as an example.

“There are public safety risks to making the jail even more crowded than it already is, and the legislature should really think about that. It drives up costs, but it also creates safety issues for the detainees, for the people working at the jail. As last May showed, potentially all of us on the outside, as well.”

Before the legislative session ends June 1, BGR said it wants the Louisiana Supreme Court to weigh in.

“There have been at least three times that the Supreme Court was called upon to study the number of judgeships,” Mowbray said. “And they have failed to deliver a report on how many judges are needed.”

Rafael Goyeneche of the New Orleans Metropolitan Crime Commission said he was briefed on the report and supports BGR’s research.

A spokesperson for the Louisiana Supreme Court said the court was not able to provide information in time for today’s newscast.

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