By JIM BUTLER

Barring successful appeal it’s back to square one for GAEDA. As for the Police Jury it advances to the next round.

New GAEDA Commissioner John Callis had his day in court Monday, convincing Judge Monique Rauls that the February meeting at which a new director was hired was illegally held.

The ruling voids the hiring and any other action taken.

The hiring before Callis and Greg Upton could take their seats and without an advertised search to fill the post was the flashpoint for the fire storm surrounding the Authority since.

The ruling not withstanding, a called special board meeting last week was clear evidence a wide chasm still exists.

Barbara Melton, the board’s new attorney, asked for the meeting and an executive session to discuss the litigation heard Monday.

Chairman Upton could not get the required two-thirds vote for the closed confab, with the yeas and nays along now-familiar lines.

Melton did confirm that Callis, as the named plaintiff, could not have participated in the strategy session, as argued before the vote by Dr C. Ray Lewis.

The board skipped its regularly scheduled June meeting date on Tuesday of this week.

As for the Police Jury, Judge Mary Doggett ruled Monday its move for injunction relief from juror Jay Scott’s alleged intemperate actions has enough meat on the bone to go to the next round. 

President Joe Bishop filed the action in early Spring, seeking judicial restraint against Scott, who some claim has never met an F word he didn’t like.

Scott argues the legal action is rooted in his reluctance to toe the jury line.

Jurors seem a bit tongue-tied on the matter. Voting in special session this month to retain outside counsel to handle the matter they referred to it only by case number.