Attorney Robbins Graham easily won an election to fill an interim position at First City Court Section A after his lone opponent, Monique Nicole Green, withdrew her candidacy. Robbins and Green were the only two contenders who qualified for the seat in late January 2025 which became vacant after First City Court Judge Monique Morial was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District last fall.
Green drew an election challenge from Graham which alleged that Green had failed to file her state income tax for each of the five previous years. On her January 29, 2025 notice of candidacy, Green swore before a notary that all her taxes had been filed appropriately. In a court hearing on Tuesday, February 11 before Judge Jennifer M. Medley, Green admitted she had overlooked her 2021 tax payment and only discovered the mistake when it was recently brought to her attention. Attorney Kenneth Bordes, an expert in election law, represented Graham. “When I qualified as a candidate, I believed I had filed my state taxes for the last five consecutive years. Unfortunately, after my opponent submitted a petition to disqualify me, I learned that this information was incorrect,” said Green in a prepared statement.
In 2022, the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Office of the Disciplinary Counsel investigated Green for an allegation that she mishandled her client trust account. Green admitted her conduct violated the rules of professional conduct and received a six month suspension from the practice of law which was deferred in its entirety by the Louisiana Supreme Court. Green is currently Legislative Director for City Councilmember Eugene J. Green. It is believed they are not related. Green is also a member of the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee.
A graduate of Southern University Law Center, Graham served as an attorney for the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). He also worked as an Assistant District Attorney, and as an attorney with the New Orleans Legal Services Corporation. He has been in private practice since his retirement from DCFS.
“I am humbled by the support that I received in this election. I pledge that I will be a fair and impartial judge; one who will treat all residents that appear before me with dignity and respect,” Graham said. Graham also thanked Congressman Troy Carter and City Council Vice President Helena Moreno for their support.
