20th Judicial District

Last updated on: April 1, 2012

District Defender/Supervisor:
Rhonda B. Covington
9414 Plank Road / P.O. Box 68
Clinton, LA 70722
(225) 683-3620

General District Information:
In the 20th Judicial District, there are two sections of District Court. There are no City Courts and no specialty courts. The U.S. Census Bureau and the Annie E. Casey Foundation reported a total population of 35,892 in this district, 6,910 of whom are children.

District Staff:
The District Defender in this district is Rhonda B. Covington, who has served in the position for one year and has been a public defender in Louisiana for ten years. The 20th Judicial District Public Defenders’ Office is a contract public defenders’ office, with a full-time District Defender and three part-time contract attorneys. There are no restrictions on private practice outside of the Public Defenders’ Office. The District Defender supervises all staff. There is no caseload reduction provided for her. The office also has two administrative staff members.

Juvenile Defense:
Juvenile cases are heard by District Judges in the 20th Judicial District. All defenders handle juvenile cases.

Indigency Determination and Availability of Clients:
In the 20th Judicial District, the Court makes the initial determination of indigence, with further determinations of eligibility for services performed by the Public Defenders’ Office. Adult clients are held in the East Feliciana Parish Jail or the West Feliciana Jail or, if held outside of the district, in the Avoyelles Correctional Center (Cottonport), the Avoyelles Marksville Detention Center or facilities in Richland, Livingston, or St. Helena Parishes. Juvenile clients are held outside of the district in the St. James Youth Center.

Fees and Accounting:
The 20th Judicial District Public Defenders’ Office collects the statutory $40 application fee from clients. In 2011, 641 applications were received for services. Fees were waived for 79 applicants and were reduced for one applicant. A total of $6,340 was collected in application fees. Courts in this district assess the statutory $35 special fees in every case resulting in a conviction to support local public defender services. In 2011, the district received $124,856 in special fees, collected by the East and West Feliciana Parish Sheriffs’ Offices. Courts in this district also may assess partial indigence payments for services based on clients’ ability to pay. Any resulting payments are collected by the East and West Feliciana Parish Sherriffs’ Offices

Caseload:
The 20th Judicial District Public Defenders’ Office reported handling 895 cases in 2011. Of those, 95 involved juvenile matters, including 28 Child in Need of Care representations.