§1346. Magistrate section; judge; election; salary; powers; jurisdiction

A.(1) In addition to the judges provided for in R.S. 13:1335, there shall be one additional judgeship for the Criminal District Court for the parish of Orleans as created by Act No. 236 of 1972 and as amended by Act No. 178 of 1975. The additional judgeship shall continue to be assigned to the Magistrate Section of the Criminal District Court for the parish of Orleans as otherwise provided for in this Section. The judge presiding over the additional judgeship shall receive the same salary, payable in the same manner, as the state pays to the other judges of the Criminal District Court for the parish of Orleans. The salary paid by the state may be supplemented by the city of New Orleans in an amount not to exceed the supplemental salaries which the city of New Orleans is authorized to pay the other judges of the Criminal District Court for the parish of Orleans. The judge elected to the additional judgeship shall be elected at the same time, shall take office at the same time, and shall serve for the same term of office as the other judges of the Criminal District Court for the parish of Orleans.

(2) In order to effectuate the provisions of this Subsection relative to the term of office, the term of office of the judge serving as judge of the additional judgeship on the effective date of this Section is hereby extended until December 31, 1984.

B. The additional judge created herein shall have and possess all of the powers, duties, jurisdiction, rights, prerogatives, and qualifications as are now prescribed by the constitution and laws of this state relative to judges of the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans, except as provided herein.

C. In addition to the sections of the Criminal District Court for the parish of Orleans now existing, there is hereby created the Magistrate Section of the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans, and the additional judge created herein shall be known as the Magistrate and shall preside over the Magistrate Section. Said judge shall have jurisdiction to act as committing magistrate in felony and misdemeanor charges and to hold preliminary examinations, with the authority to bail or discharge, or to hold for trial, in all cases before the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans, and shall have the power to adopt all necessary rules with respect thereto.

D. The additional judge created herein shall hold court in the same building as is provided for the other judges of said court by the city of New Orleans, and with the approval of the judges of the Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans, acting en banc, may hear preliminary motions, conduct extradition hearings, accept pleas in misdemeanor cases, hear and render judgments in other matters, including misdemeanor cases, preliminary to the trial on the merits, conduct trials of misdemeanor cases, preside over jury trials of misdemeanor cases, and sign and issue search and arrest warrants upon probable cause being shown in accordance with law. The judge shall have the right to appoint a court reporter, deputy court reporter, and minute clerk as provided by law, and the criminal sheriff for the parish of Orleans shall appoint a crier and deputy sheriff for the section of the court created herein as provided by law.

E. The Criminal District Court for the Parish of Orleans, including the Magistrate of the Magistrate Section of said court, acting en banc, shall prescribe rules and procedures not inconsistent with the constitution and laws of this state to be followed in all matters to be presented before the Magistrate Section.

Added by Acts 1972, No. 236, §1, emerg. eff. July 5, 1972 at 10:30 A.M. Amended by Acts 1975, No. 178, §1, eff. July 12, 1975; Acts 1980, No. 86, §1; Acts 1980, No. 714, §1; Acts 1983, No. 309, §1; Acts 1986, No. 936, §1; Acts 2006, No. 621, §19(A), eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2008, No. 675, §1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 873, §1, eff. July 9, 2008; Acts 2011, No. 340, §2, eff. June 29, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 474, §4(B)(2).