It's dangerous to be a Judge in New Orleans. If you serve long enough you may be criticized, lose your job, your profession or even your freedom.

The Louisiana Supreme Court disbarred former Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge Yvonne Hughes in May 2007. Hughes had been ordered off the bench in April 2004. The Supreme Court said in its three-page decision that the "seriousness and pervasiveness of respondent's misconduct in all aspects of her legal career readily demonstrates that she is not fit to maintain her license to practice law." When the court removed Hughes from the bench, the justices noted that she had released from jail almost 900 adults arrested for municipal and traffic violations, sometimes held court by phone and allowed convicted felons to work in her courtroom around juveniles.

Judges Bodenheimer and Green are in federal prison for taking bribes from bail bondsmen.

Judge Elloie is retired to everyone's satisfaction except possibly the taxpayers who'll be supporting this guy for the rest of his life.

Judge C. Hunter King got slapped on the wrist by Judge Julian Parker for using his employees in his reelection campaign, but the Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board is investigating the possibility of disbarment.

Judge Sassone in Jefferson Parish was suspended for abusing defendants.

Judge Sharon Hunter was removed from Orleans Parish Criminal District Court in 2003 for having presided over a section of  that kept losing trial transcripts. At least a dozen cases were overturned on appeal simply because Hunter couldn't find the original recordings of the trial, which hadn't yet been transcribed into a paper copy.

The Honor Roll is pretty long. But we just keep electing dubious choices. Do elections even make sense for these positions? Random selection would probably produce a much better outcome.