LAFAYETTE, La. — The Judges of the City Court of Lafayette announced Friday evening that C. Michael Hill, a Lafayette Attorney and former Federal Magistrate Judge, has been appointed as Marshal of the Court.
Hill will now hold the position as interim city marshal for Lafayette. Below is a statement from the city court on the appointment:
As a result of the suspension from office of Marshal Brian Pope, it is necessary that a person be appointed to handle the duties and responsibilities of the Lafayette City Marshal. The operation of Lafayette City Court and the duties performed by the Lafayette City Marshal’s office must continue uninterrupted.
To guarantee the continued operation of the Marshal’s office during the period of suspension of Marshal Pope, Louisiana law provides that a Marshal be appointed by the judges. The Marshal will be called upon to handle the administrative duties of a City Marshal. Those duties include the safety of those entering the Court building, the service of the Court’s orders as well as the execution of arrest warrants for those that choose to ignore their obligation to appear in court.
Hill, working with Chief Deputy Phil Conrad and other deputies, will supervise the day to day operation of the Marshal’s office. Hill’s experience as a law enforcement officer, prosecutor, federal and state criminal defense attorney and most recently Federal Magistrate Judge of the Western District of Louisiana will most assuredly accomplish the goal of the Judges, which is to maintain the smooth operation of the Marshal’s office.
C. Michael Hill was appointed United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Louisiana on July 31, 2001. He was reappointed effective August 1, 2009 and retired in 2015. He graduated from the American University in Washington, D.C., with Departmental Honors, Magna Cum Laude, in Political Science in 1971. Mr. Hill was awarded his J.D. by the Paul M. Hebert Law Center, Louisiana State University, in 1976, and worked on the staff of the Law Center from 1976-1977. He was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1977, and is a member of the Bar of the Fifth Circuit, the United States Supreme Court, and all of the United States district courts in Louisiana. Mr. Hill served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana from 1977-1982. Mr. Hill is engaged in the private practice of law in Lafayette, Louisiana. During that time Mr. Hill primarily engaged in a litigation practice, including criminal defense, plaintiff personal injury, insurance defense and business litigation, primarily in Federal Court.
Accordingly, we are pleased and honored to appoint, C. Michael Hill, to act as Marshal until such time as his appointment is either extended by the Lafayette City-Parish Council or his successor named, or Marshal Pope is reinstated.
Hill is expected to take office early next week after completing necessary paperwork, oath and posting of bond, the court says.
Hill Provided a statement on his appointment to the position saying:
I feel honored and privileged that Judge Saloom and Judge Bouillion have chosen to appoint me as interim Lafayette City Marshall. I look forward to working with the highly professional men and women who serve this City as member of the Marshall’s office.
I first had contact with the Marshall’s office shortly after beginning my law practice here in 1982, and I have always been impressed with the quality of the office. A law enforcement agency is no better than the people who work there. I know from personal experience, as a lawyer and Judge, that the members of the Lafayette City Marshall’s Office are highly trained professionals who have always served this City with dedication.
I look forward to working with them.
C. Michael Hill graduated from The American University, Washington D.C., in 1971, with a degree in Political Science. He served as a Patrolman with the Baton Rouge City Police from 1972 to 1975.
He graduated from the LSU Law Center in 1976 and was admitted to the Louisiana Bar in 1977. After graduating, he served on the Staff of the LSU Law Center for one year and was then appointed Assistant United States Attorney in Baton Rouge where he served from 1977 to 1982.
In 1982, he entered private practice in Lafayette where he practiced plaintiff and defense personal injury litigation, insurance litigation, general business litigation and criminal defense litigation. He was appointed United States Magistrate Judge for the Western District of Louisiana in July 2001 and retired form that Bench in August 2015.
After leaving the Bench, he has re-entered private practice in Lafayette, concentrating in Alternate Dispute Resolution and select Civil and Criminal Litigation. He has been appointed by the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana as the Court Appointed Mediator for cases involving the New Orleans Sewage and Water Board and has been appointed Special Master in a large securities case by the United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana.
