Orleans Civil District Court judges must choose a solvent local bank to hold registry funds, secure those funds, try to earn interest, and may borrow money for disbursements when needed.
§1305. Judicial depository A. The judges of the Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans, sitting en banc, a majority of said judges constituting a quorum, shall, by a vote of a majority of those present, designate a solvent bank, or banks, located within the parish of Orleans, as the fiscal agent or agents, as a depository of any and all monies received by the clerk of the said Civil District Court for the Parish of Orleans deposited in the "Registry of the Court". The said funds shall be so deposited and held subject to the orders of the court, and in accordance with all laws or parts of laws now or hereafter enacted governing any such funds so held and deposited. B. The bank or banks so designated as fiscal agent for such funds shall furnish adequate security, satisfactory to the said judges, to secure the return and payment of any such deposited funds. C. It shall be the duty of the judges to endeavor to receive interest on all monies so deposited, and if, for any reason, the fiscal agent, or agents, so designated are unable or unwilling to pay interest on such deposit, the judges of the said Civil District Court are hereby authorized to purchase certificates of deposit, and/or other forms of certificates of indebtedness bearing interest, or they may purchase short-term United States bonds, treasury notes or certificates. D. Any and all interest received on all such monies so deposited, or from any certificates of deposit, certificates of indebtedness, or United States bonds, treasury notes or certificates, shall be distributed in the following manner: (1) One-half of all interest so received, as received, shall be transferred to and shall form part of the Judicial Expense Fund, in reimbursement and payment for the services rendered in administering said "Registry of the Court" fund by the judges, clerk and other employees whose salaries are paid out of said Judicial Expense Fund. (2) The ultimate recipient of any of said funds so deposited in the registry of the court shall receive interest on such sum received by him, to be calculated on the following basis, to wit: (a) The rate of interest per annum to be paid such recipient shall be one-half of the average interest rate received from the fiscal agent and/or from certificates of deposit, certificates of indebtedness, United States government bonds, treasury notes or certificates, during the period that the funds being disbursed were on deposit in the registry of the court. (b) Interest shall be paid such recipient on the same percentage of such sum he receives as the total amount of such registry funds invested with interest bears to the total of such funds held in the registry of the court during the preceding year. (c) In determining the amount of such registry funds invested with interest, and the total of such funds held in the registry of the court, as provided in the preceding Subparagraph (b), the basis for such determination shall be the average daily balance of the total funds invested and the average daily balances of the total funds held in the registry of the court fund during the period that the funds being disbursed were on deposit in the said registry of the court fund. E. In the event it becomes necessary to disburse funds which have been deposited in the registry of the court fund, in accordance with a duly rendered court order, in excess of the amount held by the fiscal agent of said fund, in its noninterest bearing account, the clerk of court and/or the presiding judge or the acting presiding judge of the Civil District Court, on an order issued by the majority of the judges of the Civil District Court, sitting en banc, shall have the authority, and they are hereby authorized and empowered to borrow such funds so needed for disbursal from the said fiscal agent, or others, at the then prevailing interest rate for loans of this character, using as collateral to secure any such loan an amount of bonds, or certificates of deposit, or certificates of indebtedness in which said funds have been invested, and, if required so to do by any such lending agency, to execute any note or other form of agreement to repay such loan. Amended by Acts 1969, No. 160, §1; Acts 1970, No. 200, §1; Acts 2006, No. 621, §19(A), eff. Jan. 1, 2009; Acts 2008, No. 675, §1, eff. July 1, 2008; Acts 2008, No. 873, §1, eff. July 9, 2008; Acts 2011, No. 340, §2, eff. June 29, 2011; Acts 2012, No. 474, §4(B)(2).