Opinion Number

Dear Judge Smith:

You requested the opinion of this office relative to funds retained by the Monroe City Court (the "Court") in light of the ruling in City ofMonroe v. Judge Larry Lolley, et al., 660 So.2d 94 (La.App. 2nd Cir. 1995), writ denied, 95-2359 (La. 12/8/95), 664 So.2d 428 (La. Dec 08, 1995). The history of the litigation was described in the Second Circuit Court of Appeals decision in pertinent part as follows:

"When Judges Jefferson and Diehlman C. Barnhardt (who Judge Charles succeeded) came on the city court bench in 1991, they discovered that prior administrations had, for many…