Rumors have persisted for months throughout the legal community that Jefferson County Judge Yashiba Blanchard was under investigation for issues ranging from human resources complaints to complaints from lawyers who came before her and felt her courtroom was run contrary to judicial standards, to allegations of financial mismanagement.
On Thursday, Blanchard was suspended from the bench, and retired Judge Sherri Friday was sworn in. Exact details of why have not been released.
Complaints go to the Judicial Inquiry Commission for evaluation, then to the Court of the Judiciary for a hearing.
1819 News obtained the Administrative Order (A0-2026028) and has confirmed with Judge Friday that she has been sworn in, though she was unable to speak to the circumstances of the vacancy.
Judge Friday described the day-to-day operations of the court that differ from those of the circuit court and require immediate attention.
"Judge French called, saying that she’d been notified that Judge Blanchard is going to be on suspension," Friday told 1819 News.
“There are a lot of things that the probate court deals with that are very daily. Right? Such as the commitment hearings, particularly are much more daily," she continued. "In the conservatorships, a ruling has to be made within 30 days.”
She explained that for condemnations, there’s a “tiny window” during which several steps must be taken.
“So that is why she called me, real quick, and I said, I’ll be happy to do that.”
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