A GOOD JUDGE KNOWS, FAITHFULLY INTERPRETS, AND FAIRLY APPLIES THE LAW… EXCELLENT JUDGES SERVE JUSTICE AND THEIR COMMUNITIES
Dear St. John the Baptist Parish Citizens: With great excitement and humility I write, seeking your support in my bid for Judge, Division B, 40 th Judicial District Court. My qualifications for the job are multiple and multifaceted. In my private practice, I have managed divorce, child support, and custody cases; successions; complex property disputes; medical malpractice and personal injury claims; and Title VII, FLSA, and civil rights litigation. I have criminal and civil trial experience, in both state and federal court, and I have argued successful appeals with the Social Security Administration Office of Disability Adjudication and Review. In my federal civil practice, my services have been retained by parties bringing claims (plaintiffs) as well as parties disputing claims brought against them (defendants). The breadth of my legal practice mandates that my knowledge of the law—procedure, rules of evidence, and trial performance standards—runs deep. I understand, for example, that in the courtroom, a judge acts not as an advocate for a particular policy, cause, or ideology, or ally of any special interest; rather, in the courtroom, the judge receives directions, and derives function, exclusively from the laws, rules, and procedures that govern the claims, issues, and facts before the court. In the 40 th Judicial District, a court of general jurisdiction, the judge presides over civil, child support, juvenile, traffic, and criminal proceedings—areas of law of which I have extensive knowledge, based on practice. My knowledge of the laws that I will faithfully interpret and fairly apply as your judge is also rooted in ongoing study, which I am required to engage in as a teacher. My training in law began at about the same time that I launched my professional career in the classroom. Shortly after earning a PhD in English from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and returning to my home state of Louisiana to accept a tenure-track position in the English Department at Louisiana State University, I met my husband, Lucien Gauff, III. With his support, my parents’ guidance, and encouragement from countless family and friends I acquired upon marrying Lucien and moving to St. John, I enrolled in Loyola University’s evening law school program, while teaching at LSU. By the time I received my law degree, I had moved from LSU to Tulane University and had applied for and accepted a clerkship with the Honorable Mary Hotard Becnel. In addition to anchoring me in the fundamentals of presiding over a court of general jurisdiction, my term with Judge Becnel afforded me the invaluable opportunity to work as an instructor with C.H.A.R.M. School, the program Judge Becnel launched in 2006, to give support and guidance to non-violent female juvenile offenders. More than anything else, my time with Judge Becnel taught me that excellent judges serve justice and their communities. My term as Judge for Division B will be defined by a number of measurable objectives to which I expect all citizens of St. John the Baptist Parish to hold me accountable, not just those who live in the district and can vote for me on Election Day. First, I will work with the other judges of the 40 th Judicial District to adopt, amend, and/or supplement local rules that foster efficient case management. An observation that I have made during my years of practicing family law in the 40 th Judicial District is that related family law matters can be docketed in multiple courts. One way to promote efficiency in this area could be to apply the Court’s “One Judge, One Family” rule, which currently covers truancy, misdemeanor, and contempt issues involving the same family, to all proceedings arising out of similar claims and issues involving the same family. Evidence reveals that this rule tends to foster stability for the family, while enabling the Court to develop a more comprehensive understanding of the issues affecting the family appearing before it. Comprehensive application of the “One Judge, One Family” rule would also simplify scheduling and economize time. Second, I will collaborate with the Clerk of Court and other judges of the 40 th Judicial District to enhance public information resources and accessibility. All court proceedings, except those involving juveniles or specifically ordered closed by the judge, are a matter of public record. Subpoenas and other written forms of notice are tools that courts are required to use to inform people of when they must appear in Court. However, advancements in modern technology make it relatively easy and cost-efficient to utilize additional methods—for example, digital board announcements and online docket information databases—to keep the public informed about court proceedings. Other forms of public information that can be disseminated at low-to- no cost through digital board messaging and/or website posts include rules of court and self-represented litigant forms. These systems can also be used to interface parish government announcements and resource information with court announcements and resource information. Third, I will continue to work with the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) annual “Lawyers in Libraries” program to heighten public appreciation of the many ways in which attorneys who practice in St. John the Baptist Parish aid citizens outside the courtroom. “Lawyers in Libraries” is an annual event that gives relief to the service aspects of the legal profession. In the past, members of the St. John Parish Bar have advanced the mission of “Lawyers in Libraries” by facilitating workshops on topics such as estate planning, divorce, and lease agreements at one or more local libraries. I will continue to collaborate with local librarians, Bar members, and the LSBA to develop programs and workshops that underscore the important and diverse roles lawyers play in serving the public. Fourth, I will work with other elected officials, local church leaders, school leaders, parents, volunteers, and private and public funding agencies to launch YELL-St. John! This supplemental educational service will operate on the premise that Youth Excel by Learning the Law (YELL). Accordingly, I have developed a 10-unit curriculum that introduces students reading and writing at seventh and/ or eighth grade levels to fundamental legal concepts, issues, and themes and uses discussion and role-playing to build students’ capacities to apply what they learn about the law to their day-to- day living and interactions at school, at home, and in their communities. It is easy to make pronouncements about the problems that plague St. John the Baptist Parish. People with money, little patience, and less vision sometimes choose to leave St. John for grass that they think is greener elsewhere. The years that I have spent working with girls in C.H.A.R.M. School and young male and female adults in college classrooms counsel me against using broad strokes to label people or deploying stereotypes and polarizing rhetoric to agitate fear in people. Moreover, the years I have spent living and raising a family in St. John the Baptist Parish, providing legal representation to diverse members of our community, and practicing in the 40 th Judicial District convince me that it is at least as, if not more, important to commit to working on developing practical, sustainable solutions to problems as it is to talk about problems. As Judge, I pledge to serve the interests of justice by knowing, faithfully interpreting, and fairly applying the law. I further pledge to serve our community in ways that are measurable; that are solutions-driven; and that can be used to hold me accountable as your elected official. Humbly and respectfully, I ask you to cast your ballot for #76, Nghana Lewis Gauff, during early voting, October 25-November 1, 2016, and on Election Day, November 8, 2016. If you do not reside in areas that can vote for Division B, I ask that you encourage family and friends in the district to vote for me. To learn about the areas of St. John Parish that can vote for Division B, and/or for information about how you can join #TeamLewisGauff, please visit our Facebook page, Committee to Elect Nghana Lewis Gauff, Judge, or call (985) 224-8097. *Paid Advertisement of Committee to Elect Nghana Lewis Gauff, Judge.