BAKER - An East Baton Rouge Parish justice of the peace who was removed from her post temporarily after complaints related to how her office handled evictions will appear before the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana.

Justice of the Peace Tracy Batieste was investigated and temporarily removed after two landlords alleged she charged fees that were not authorized, often opened her courtroom late and ignored their requests for documentation. In June, she was immediately disqualified from her office with pay for at least six months. 

Documentation from Batieste confirmed she was charging unauthorized fees, investigators said.

While justices of the peace are allowed to charge fees for their basic services, Batieste was charging a $10 "COVID" fee and also a $2 service fee for every other fee charged, the investigators said. For a two-person eviction, justices are allowed to charge $175, but Batieste was charging $240, they said.

She will appear before the Judiciary Committee on Feb. 9, 2026.