If judges elected to the 19th Judicial District are the engine that powers the East Baton Rouge state court, then its commissioners serve as the pistons that help keep the motor revving smoothly.
Commissioners are quasi-judges appointed by the 19th JDC’s panel of 15 elected judgeships. They have limited judicial powers that allow them to set bail, sign search and arrest warrants, issue subpoenas, handle grand jury indictments, sign off on seizure orders for foreclosures and make recommendations to judges.
While commissioners can’t accept guilty pleas, issue sentences or dole out final dispositions in criminal cases, they are pivotal to the court’s operations…