Baton Rouge judge suspended; court split over paid leave
In an order issued Wednesday, the court suspended Johnson Rose from judicial office for six months without pay, though four of those months are deferred, meaning she will serve a two-month unpaid suspension immediately. She will also be placed on probation for two years and must pay more than $11,000 in associated costs.
The action stems from a joint petition for consent discipline submitted by Judge Rose and the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana. In the petition, Rose admitted that her conduct in four separate criminal cases violated both the state's Code of Judicial Conduct and Louisiana's Constitution.
According to court documents, Rose made 'serious legal errors' in three of the cases, and in the fourth, used profane and offensive language, including a racial slur, while expressing bias against the District Attorney's Office.
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Judge Rose was initially removed from the bench in August 2024 under an interim suspension order, after the commission said she posed a 'substantial threat of serious harm to the public and the administration of justice.'
Associate Justice William J. Crain dissented from the majority decision, calling the eight months Rose spent on paid suspension 'the equivalent of a paid vacation.' He argued she should either serve the full six months without pay or be required to reimburse taxpayers for the salary of the pro tempore judge who covered her docket. Justices James McCallum and John Weimer also dissented; Justice Piper Griffin concurred in the result but raised concerns about voter disenfranchisement in judicial disqualifications.
Johnson Rose, elected to the Division K seat in December 2020, will remain on probation under a court-monitored agreement. Her disciplinary costs include more than $6,900 to help offset the cost of the temporary judges appointed during her suspension.
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