By james art Improving access to the courts and finding more efficient ways for people to resolve their legal problems are two priorities in the race for the next Baton Rouge City Court judge.
Longtime attorney Niles Heimer is battling veteran prosecutor Brittany Bryant Jordan for the court’s only seat.
All five current city court judges see their four-year terms expire on Dec. 31. Four of the incumbents ran unopposed to retain their seats. Because Johnell Matthews is age-restricted to run for a second term, Jorden and Haymer are competing to win her Division C seat in the Nov. 5 election.
The Louisiana Secretary of State lists both candidates as Democrats, although the winner-take-all primary is nonpartisan. Hamer and Jordan are alumni of Southern University Law Center who have spent more than 30 years lurking in courtrooms and litigating lawsuits.
They vie to preside over a municipal court that handles small claims disputes, contract and personal injury claims, and civil and landlord-tenant cases up to $35,000. City Court judges also handle misdemeanor DWI and cases of domestic violence, punishable by up to six months in jail or a $1,000 fine.
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Brittany Jordan
Jordan, 37, grew up in south Baton Rouge and is a graduate of Baton Rouge Magnet High School. She was inspired to become a lawyer by Claire Huxtable’s character on The Cosby Show, realizing at the ripe old age of 7 that law was her path to public service.
“I admired her and what she did and I was just like what can I do,” Jordan said. “Because I always knew I wanted to help people. I knew I wanted to be a voice for the voiceless and to be helpful.
19th Judicial District Court Judge Will Jordan’s wife, Brittany Jordan, has made her own mark on the East Baton Rouge legal community over the past decade. As a legislative aide to the late state Rep. Alfred Williams, she helped write child safety legislation and also had a hand in crafting the bill that ultimately redistricted the five City Court districts in 2015 and created the citywide seat on the bench. which she currently insists on.
After leaving the state Capitol, Jordan began representing abused and neglected children in the state’s foster care system as an attorney with the Office of Mental Health Advocacy and the Governor’s Child Advocacy Program.
In 2017, Jordan joined the East Baton Rouge District Attorney’s Office and spent five years as a juvenile court prosecutor in the 19th JDC. She dealt with cases involving family services and school truancy, as well as children in need of care. She soon rose through the ranks to become a senior prosecutor in the juvenile division and worked on some of the most violent crimes against juvenile defendants, some of which she had to transfer to adult court.
“I just found juvenile court to be extremely rewarding because when you make a difference in a child’s life, they have a lot more time,” she said. “Their whole life is ahead of them. And I looked at it as if we were changing direction or course for the rest of their lives.
When she became a mother, Jordan reduced her work hours so she could focus on raising a family. She moved to the county court’s juvenile division to begin prosecuting cases in the downtown courthouse in 2022. District Attorney Hilary Moore, who is one of Jordan’s staunchest supporters, named her senior prosecutor at the DA’s office earlier this year. West Baton Rouge District Attorney Tony Clayton is also among the group of attorneys, state legislators, pastors, lobbying groups and local activists who have endorsed Jordan.
Jordan’s goal is to get to the root of the problem in each case to reduce recidivism. She indicated that she still works in youth defense and sees her seat on the bench as a labor of love, where she can interact with defendants. One of her main priorities is the implementation of mentoring programs for youth going through the justice system.
“I’m not doing this just because it’s something someone told me to do,” she said. “When I tell you my blood, sweat and tears have gone into the streets of Baton Rouge — the city where I was not only born, but raised — I mean it. I have receipts too; you can ask about me.
“I am doing this because I prayed for this decision; I have considered everything and the fact that I can be a judge in the people’s court, to serve the people, this is in my heart”, she said. “This is where I feel I should be. Because as a judge in the city court you have to be able to communicate with people.”
Niles Heimer
Heimer, 46, touts his experience, particularly in city court, and said his transition will be seamless because he already knows the court’s staff and procedures.
“I’ve represented all sides on both sides and I have the experience to be a judge because I can see it from both angles,” he said. “You need that in a judge: You want them to be fair and impartial.”
Heimer was motivated to practice law by his father, who was the first black assistant district attorney in the history of the Baton Rouge City Court. After graduating from law school, Heimer spent more than 15 years as a private attorney, handling thousands of cases in city court and throughout the state as a defense, family and civil attorney. He was so popular that in 2019 he ran for Juvenile Judge in the 19th JDC, finishing as runner-up to Gail Grover.
But when his downtown Eastern Boulevard law office was burned to the ground by arsonists in March 2020, Heimer’s career took an unexpected turn. Shortly after the fire, he says he “rose from the ashes” and joined the city attorney’s office. He began litigating City Court cases across the court and helped start a Rapid Case Assessment Team program that resolved 80% of City Court cases at defendants’ first appearance. This effort helped clear the court’s backlog as cases piled up during the COVID-19 shutdown.
Several courts joined together last year to organize an information event for drivers to get their traffic tickets. Heimer envisioned City Court holding such clinics every quarter to help drivers pay their fines and clear the court’s glut of about 100,000 outstanding traffic warrants.
“We cannot continue down this path if we want people to believe in law and order in our city,” he said. “We simply cannot allow people not to pay fines on the roads. And we know we can’t stop our way out of the problem. … I believe in rigor, I believe in responsibility. But you have to sit back and say something is not working if you have 100,000 warrants outstanding. So we need new and innovative ideas.”
Over the past two years, Heimer has contributed to the development of some of these creative ideas. He is deputy director of the Criminal Justice Coordinating Council, a nonprofit coalition that considers new policy initiatives for the parish’s criminal justice system. He oversees programs like the 19th JDC’s drug and recovery court and said one of his goals will be to make citizens more aware of the helpful services City Court can offer. Heimer cited examples such as a two-year special program for DWI offenders or an annex to the Office of Motor Vehicles on the third floor where traffic offenders can reinstate their driver’s licenses.
“I don’t think the public knows enough about what we do in Baton Rouge City Court. As a city court judge, I believe that could sell it on the market,” he said. “I believe in telling the public where their tax dollars are going and the services you can offer them. And in the city court, we still live like we’re in the 1980s and 1990s. I would like to bring us into the 21st century.
“Eliminate fear, increase help and make City Court more accessible to the public.”