| Voter's Guide, 2020 Spring Elections, Baton Rouge, Baton Rouge
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| Position | City Judge, City Court, Division C, City of Baton Rouge | | Name | Johnell Matthews | | Party Affiliation | Democrat | | Profession | Attorney for 18 years; Educator/Administrator for 20 years | | Present Employer / position | Matthews & Matthews Law | | Length of residence in Jurisdiction | 40 + years | | List of educational institutions and degrees | Southern University Law Center; Juris Doctor Degree; honor graduate, top 10%; Cum Laude; 2001
-Admitted to Louisiana State Bar, 2001
-Admitted to Mississippi State Bar, 2002
-Licensed to practice in state and federal courts in Louisiana & in Mississippi
Louisiana State University; Masters Degree in French Language & Literature
Academic Year Abroad: French Certification; LeSorbonne University; Paris, France
Louisiana State University; Second Language Specialist Certification
Southern University: B.A. Degree in French and English; Minor in Spanish
| | Prior elected and appointed positions | I have not been elected to any public position. I was elected to serve as president of my Home Owners' Association, for a 2 year period. Additionally, I have been appointed to several boards, such as, board member for Volunteers in Public Schools, and commissioner on the Louisiana Library Board. I am presently a board member of Volunteers in Public Schools. | | Civic involvement and affiliations |
Dean Henry George McMahon American Inn of Court
Baton Rouge Association of Women Attorneys
Volunteers in Public Schools
Past Board of Family services
Baton Rouge Chamber of Commerce Leadership Class
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Questions specific to the position
| 1. How many years of trial experience do you have? How does that breakdown between civil and criminal court trials, and between jury and judge trials?
| I have actively practiced law at Matthews & Matthews Law, with my husband, Johnnie Matthews, since I completed law school and passed the Louisiana Bar in 2001. Our practice is primarily a civil practice, and I have practiced in all courts in Louisiana and in Mississippi; including the City Court, the District Court, the Court of appeal, the Fifth Circuit, the Chancery Courts in Mississippi, the Circuits Courts, the Appellate Courts, the Supreme Court, and all federal courts. I have a wealth of legal experience from practicing in various courts in two states. As a civil law litigant, the majority of our cases have been litigated before judges. Most cases are fully prepared for trial; then, the case settles. This eliminates jury trials in most instances or trial by judge. The majority of our trials have been before judges in Louisiana and in Mississippi; however, we have had a fair number of jury trials. As for criminal court trials, our law firm has handled criminal matters that were usually compromised before trial. | | 2. What do you consider to be your greatest strength for this position?
| I have a plethora of experience in law and in education. My first career was in education. I taught French and English at Baton Rouge Magnet High for 5 years, and then, I was promoted to Supervisor of Foreign Languages for the entire public school system in Baton Rouge. As a supervisor, I was obligated to hire, fire, train, evaluate, and in many instances, oversee the daily activities of the foreign teachers that the parish received from foreign countries. It was my duty to help the foreign teachers to find housing, automobiles, and to assign them to an elementary school. All of the same duties of training, and evaluating applied to them as well. As an educator, I worked with people. I have experience in working with parents, teachers, other supervisors, principals, superintendents, and the general public. My years of experience and contact with people afford me a unique set of skills that are crucial to being an effective judge, particularly on the City Court bench, where people will come from all walks of life, with all types of situations to be resolved.
Additionally, I have practiced law in civil and in some criminal areas, in all courts, in Louisiana and in Mississippi. I have the leadership skills and the legal skills needed to be an effective, compassionate, and just judge. | | 3. What factors would you consider in granting and setting bail amounts and in granting (non-bail) sign out bonds for defendants? What do you believe is the primary consideration?
| The cash bail system causes tremendous hardships for many impoverished citizens who are unable to pay the amount of bail set by the courts. Many are pre-trial detainees who have not been sentenced, and the majority of the pre-trial detainees await arraignment and trial behind bars in jail cells for months and sometimes years before they are afforded a trial or sentenced; and sometimes misdemeanor charges are simply dismissed after a detainee has remained in jail due to the inability to pay the cash bail.The ability to pay, and the severity of the accusation are two elements that should be imposed in consideration of the amount of bail for pre-trial detainees. Misdemeanors should be excluded from this category, and the person should be given the opportunity to appear for a scheduled court date, in lieu of a cash bond. | | 4. What are your beliefs regarding alternative sentences for non-violent offenders, juveniles, or people experiencing homelessness, mental illness, or drug addiction?
| This question addresses some of the most serious issues facing our community today. Alternative sentencing should be a consideration for non-violent offenders, on a case-by-case basis. The use of community service would be a consideration for non-payment of fines or fees, on a case-by-case basis. The City Court should partner with mental health services, housing services, and drug rehabilitation services to assist those who can be helped at the entry level, before a minor offense becomes a larger offense. alternative sentencing should include a partnership with mental health services, housing services, and drug rehabilitation services to assist where needed. Preventative measures should be in place to prevent, where possible, minor infractions from becoming a felony offense later. | | 5. What are the biggest hurdles to achieving fairness for all defendants, regardless of their socioeconomic status, and how would you address those hurdles?
| Justice is supposed to be 'blind', and judges are supposed to be fair and impartial. However, judges have great discretion in sentencing practices. Therefore, judicial attitudes, political perceptions of judges, political pressures, electoral partisanship, and public demand for tough-on-crime punishment, are all factors that influence sentencing decisions and contribute to high incarceration rates. Race nor a citizen's socioeconomic status, in a blind system, should determine the rate of incarceration. However, these two factors may also influence some judges' discretion in sentencing. A judge is assumed to be fair, impartial, and in many instances, compassionate. A judge's judicial discretion must be used fairly regardless of one's socioeconomic status, and each case must be considered on its merits. Therefore, a case-by-case analysis would be useful in obtaining fairness.
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