On the fifth day of an Orleans Parish juvenile sex-abuse trial, jurors spent hours in limbo while the presiding judge was away in Baton Rouge for a seminar, according to the district attorney’s office. The delay landed in a crucial window between closing arguments and jury deliberations. When the case finally went to the panel, defendant Anthony Howells was found guilty of rape, molestation and sexual battery involving a child under 13, with sentencing set for next month.
The Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office laid out a timeline saying the full panel of 12 jurors and two alternates reported to court at about 9:00 a.m., then was sent back to the jury room around 11:00 a.m. and kept there while the court recessed. Judge Simone Levine returned later in the afternoon, gave the jury its instructions and sent jurors out to deliberate at approximately 4:42 p.m. They reached a verdict close to 9:00 p.m., according to WDSU.
District Attorney Jason Williams told reporters he understands the multi-hour pause occurred while Levine attended a seminar in Baton Rouge and described it as a "multi-hour delay immediately before jury deliberations," which he said raises concerns for both the survivor and the jurors, according to WDSU. Rafael Goyeneche of the Metropolitan Crime Commission countered that neither the DA’s office nor the jurors objected to the judge’s schedule, saying, "The most important thing is that it was cleared with everybody." Levine, in a written statement, cited the Code of Judicial Conduct in declining to comment on a pending case and said her court routinely checks with jurors about scheduling conflicts before any break.
What the rules say
Judges are generally barred from making public comments that could affect the fairness of a pending case, even as they are allowed to take part in civic and educational activities and to explain court procedures in an official capacity. The Louisiana section of the Reporters Committee open-courts compendium notes that the state’s Canons of Judicial Conduct sharply limit what judges can say about active matters in order to protect impartiality and public confidence. It also outlines the narrow exceptions for official duties and educational events, along with the oversight structure that sits behind those rules.
Next steps
Howells is scheduled to be sentenced next month. The DA’s office has said the survivor and jurors had waited years for accountability and that their time and service warranted respect. The Baton Rouge trip and the timing of the recess could draw fresh scrutiny from court watchers who are already tuned in to how judges juggle continuing-education obligations with the pressures of a live trial schedule, although observers quoted in coverage emphasized that the pause was cleared with the parties and jurors at the time.
Legal options and oversight
If anyone chooses to press the issue, Louisiana’s judicial-oversight system provides a path for complaints to the Judiciary Commission, with potential review by the state Supreme Court. Routine scheduling decisions rarely lead to discipline, but repeated or especially serious departures from the judicial canons can trigger formal inquiries under state rules, according to legal guides and reporting from the Reporters Committee.
