Thanks for watching this edition of the Hot seat. We're continuing our debates and we're focused on the race for Judge Saint Tammany Parish division B. Two people have qualified to run. We have invited both of them to attend. We should point out that one of the people running. Tara Zeller has respectfully declined our invitation. So she is not here for this edition of the Hot seat, but her opponent, Casey Allen is attending. We do appreciate you coming to answer questions about this important race in Saint Tammany Parish. Excited to be here. All right. So we do stick to the same playbook even if you are here by yourself. We are gonna give you *** chance to make an opening statement. So Miss Allen, you have 60 seconds to make an opening statement to let people know why you feel you're the best candidate, you know right now. Um The people of Saint Tammany really feel like we're on an island. Um We are watching crime Rise, Violent Crime to our south in New Orleans, to our west in Baton Rouge and even in Washington Parish in the little tiny town of Bogalusa. So *** lot of people are really just wanting to feel like they're gonna be safe. They wanna feel like, you know, we've had *** lot of influx of population in Saint Tammany. *** lot of people move from the South Shore and people wanna feel like they made that move for *** reason and it's gonna stay the same type of community that they came for. Um So people are really excited about my candidacy because I'm the only prosecutor running. I'm actually running against *** criminal defense lawyer. And um there's nothing wrong with being *** criminal defense lawyer, but people are really hungry for the experience that I bring right now. Um I ha I'm the only candidate in my race who has been in the trenches already uh working to protect our community. Um trying the tough cases, murders, rapes, molestation. I've worked on them all. Um I am the person who was fighting for appropriate bonds to be set or sometimes no bonds at all. Um So, so that's the experience that I bring to this race. People are really excited about it. So we have *** bunch of issues to get to right now. Let's just start with one and technology. None of us really go back to the days of COVID-19 where everything was zoom, but we did learn some from that about incorporating Zoom technology and remote technology into things like the courtroom in about 60 seconds or so. What is your stance if elected on incorporating new technology into the 22nd J DC. I'm glad you asked. Um you know, look, I'm 41 years old. So, um I do have uh the youth that I bring uh to this uh to this race. And so I'm all for technology during COVID, we did everything on Zoom except for jury trials. I think it's really important that we jury trials. We are in person. That is the way that, that, that the founders of this country envisioned it. Um, you really have to be in person to read someone's demeanor to really understand um, where they're coming from. So I believe that jury trials should remain in person, but there's *** lot of um uh types of motions that we can do on Zoom and especially to be more effective to, to move cases along. I think that, that, that can help. So I'm all for technology in Saint Tammany. Unfortunately, we do suffer from *** little bit of *** lack of technology in our courtrooms. Jefferson Parish is doing *** great job. They've really, uh outrun us in, in that way. And so I'm really hoping that we can, can incorporate some more technology into our courtrooms. Speaking of technology, I was gonna ask this question last, but I'll just move it up because it deals with technology if you're elected. What are your thoughts on cameras in the courtroom? And let me point out Louisiana is one of only about five or six states now in the country that doesn't allow cameras in the courtroom. This is becoming common practice all over the Trump trial. If it gets there in Georgia will be televised. We all watch what happened in South Carolina with the Murdoch trial. What are your thoughts in about 60 seconds on allowing cameras in the courtroom here in Louisiana? Man? I would like to look back on my body of work and see some of the trials that I've tried, uh, on camera that I think it would, it's important for people to be able to see what is going on inside of the courtroom that gives you that transparency for people who maybe can't get to the courtroom to see what's going on. Now. As *** judge, I don't make the laws I enforce them. So, you know, whatever the lawmakers decide to do, I'm going to enforce. All right, let's talk about moving your docket because *** lot of judges have to deal with this many times. You have defense lawyers who try to slow things down because rightfully so they need to test evidence and they wanna make sure the witnesses that they're bringing in are spot on. But *** lot of people in Saint Tammany want the rocket docket, they want you to move that docket along as fast as you can if you are elected, how do you balance the right to *** fair trial to make sure that defendant has his rights protected, but also moving along your docket and making sure that cases don't just stall in the system. I think that *** quick and diligent and efficient docket is the only fair way for both sides. We don't want to have defendants sitting in jail awaiting trial for *** long time. And on the flip side, we have survivors of crime who are also waiting for their day in court. So to me, justice demands that we have *** quick and efficient docket. When I was an assistant district attorney, that means *** prosecutor in Saint Tammany, I worked in one of the most efficient uh divisions of court. We consistently tried the most jury trials and consistently had the lowest docket. I believe that I've had the best training having been in that courtroom and I'm ready to use that experience and those skills and that knowledge to run *** really efficient docket division B does have *** big docket. And so I'm ready to get in there and get to work and really grind down to, to move that docket along. So let's talk about sentencing. We can't talk about *** specific case here, obviously, but some feel that judges hands are tied in Louisiana, for example, for second degree murder, there is no wiggle room. It is life without at Angola in almost every single case. What are your stances on sentencing if you are elected? Because in many cases, you do have wiggle room, there'll be *** minimum for something like manslaughter and *** maximum. But just so people get *** snapshot of what you're thinking about on the bench. What are your thoughts if you are elected on sentencing? Especially for people who are convicted of violent crimes. People who are convicted of violent crimes need to go to jail for *** long time. One of the things that is so important to people in Saint Tammany Washington Parish where, where my court will be is that we stop that revolving door. I mean, I hear that all the time and people are looking around across the country. Judges and das who won't enforce the law, um, to, to keep these violent criminals off the streets now. Yes, you mentioned ma manslaughter. That's ***, that's *** sentence that goes from 0 to 40. It does. Um, and *** lot of cases are negotiated between the, the state, the district attorney and, and the defense lawyers and kind of come to *** judge for approval, but every case is different. So I've had, um, manslaughters that are 40 I've had manslaughters that are less than that. Um You know, when you're looking at *** second degree murder, for example, if you want to, to depart downward, that is when, as *** prosecutor, you start looking at *** resolution of manslaughter so that you do have that wiggle room. But you know, fentaNYL dealers, murderers, pedophiles, you, you can, you can bet that I'm gonna be heavy handed in it. It's funny you bring up fentaNYL because what would be your guidelines or your goal if elected as *** judge for treatment or abuse programs? How do you feel about somebody who is facing and possibly convicted of *** drug crime not going to jail and going into some kind of treatment programs? I guess in essence, I'm long winded. My question would be, what would your goals be for treatment programs? For people who have drug addiction problems in sa how many in Washington Parish? I'm so happy that you asked. We have such ***, *** problem of addiction that comes from suffering and trauma. Um People are dealing with *** lot out there and unfortunately, they've turned to drugs as ***, as an escape. We see that every day. Um and, and Children are caught up in that in that cycle as well. So I am all for treatment. I have seen so many defendants through drug court, sobriety court, Mental Health Court. We need to use our resources that we have. And in Saint Timoney, in Washington Parish, we are so lucky to have *** full breath of specialty courts. I've worked in other jurisdictions as *** prosecutor where we did not have that. Maybe we only had drug court and we were trying to wedge someone into drug court who may have *** more niche need. So look, jail is not generally for the majority of, of individuals *** place to go for rehab. Uh either in terms of violence or addiction. It is some place that we have to send people to give the community *** break from them. OK? So if we wanna try to help people, um and we can, uh I want, I wanna put them in, in treatment and in programs that we can help them because that's what's actually gonna keep our streets in our community. All right, let me ask you this question. I know that there are judicial canons that you have to follow because you are running for judge and you can't talk about specific cases. We're not going to ask you to talk about those. But unlike in New Orleans, the D *** in Saint Tammany does seek the death penalty. In some cases, it could possibly happen in the Antonio Tyson case. It's probably gonna happen. I believe in the Mark Spicer case, the man charged with killing *** police officer in Mandeville, not speaking of those specific cases, but if you are elected as *** judge, what are your thoughts on the death penalty? I know it is up to *** jury. But how would you pick *** jury or how would you make sure that you're overseeing *** jury process in *** death penalty case in Saint Ay? Well, the, the job of *** judge and so I've been working as *** prosecutor on one side of that and many of those decisions on the death penalty, like in, in what we talked about before they're negotiated between the district attorney and defense counsel. But the job of *** judge is really, it's to be the neutral person to be the referee in the courtroom. So my job will be to make sure that everyone has, um, ***, *** fair bite at the apple. Um, I'm gonna be an impartial judge. So that means that what is the law on the books? As long as we have the death penalty on the books in Louisiana, I'm going to, to enforce that as an avenue for, uh, for punishment in very severe cases. Would you pick jurors differently? Because obviously, to point that out, I think, I don't know if people know this in Louisiana, but it is *** jury that decides it, if somebody is convicted of *** crime, the jury then goes back and decides that that person dies by lethal injection or spends the rest of their life in jail as *** judge, would you screen or try to work with jury selection differently? Knowing that that jury inevitably could determine if somebody lives or dies. Every case is important. Every single case is important down from *** car burglary on up to ***, *** horrible murder case where the, where the death penalty is at issue. So my job is to ensure that fair trials are had in every single trial. Ok. And again, as *** prosecutor, I've been part of that process picking jurors uh, my opponent has never tried cases and that's something that distinguishes us is that she's never been part of that process and it is *** very particularized process and really the choices come and the cuts when you're cutting people from the jury, that is something that, that comes from the, the prosecutors and the defense lawyers and the judge is there to make sure that it's done fairly and there's certain laws that ensure that and certain challenges and, um, and, and I, and I'm very familiar with that process and, and ready to, to do that in *** fair way. All right, we do wanna mention since you mentioned that we did invite Tara Zeller your opponent to come. She has respectfully declined to participate in our hot seat debate. I wish we could go on and on and we have some more questions, but unfortunately, we are probably out of time. So we're gonna give you *** chance to make *** 62nd closing statement and let people know why you feel you're the best candidate in this race. Well, thanks so much. Um, I, I am proud of my record as *** prosecutor, like I mentioned before, fentaNYL dealers, uh, sexual abuse of Children murders. Those are the cases that I've been working on and, and I've gotten some, some really, um, um, appropriate convictions and sentences in those cases. I have been on the ground. I'm the only person in my race that has been on the ground doing this work, fighting to keep our community safe. My opponent has been on the other side of that. Um That is why I of the endorsement of so many important figures in our community. From the district attorney Warren Montgomery to us, Senator John Kennedy, to Chiefs of Police of Covington, Madisonville, Mandeville. I am the only person that those people trust to keep our community safe and that is why I'm doing this. I'm asking for your vote because as I I it's such an important race. We are really um at, at, at *** cliff right now in Saint Tammany Washington Parish. And we're gonna try to protect our quality of life as best as we can. And with me, you can trust that that will be my goal every single day to go in there and work hard. All right, Casey Allen, we appreciate your time. Good luck. Election day is Saturday, October 14th. Once again, just to point this out, we did invite your opponent, Tara Zeller. She respectfully declined to participate. You can watch this debate and so many others right here on W DS U dot com. Now through election day.