BATON ROUGE — A retired judge has been appointed to temporarily take over former 19th Judicial District Judge Eboni Johnson Rose's seat following her removal from the bench for misconduct by the state Supreme Court, the 19th JDC said Friday.

J. Michael McDonald will take over Rose's responsibilities as a judge in the 19th JDC starting Monday. He will sit on the bench through Sept. 30, a filing with the 19th JDC said.

McDonald plans to visit the 19th JDC on Friday to review the docket that awaits him, particularly if they have any motions set for a decision on Monday.

"If they do, I've got a bunch of stuff to read this weekend," McDonald said.

McDonald served as a judge in the 19th JDC for several years before moving to the First Circuit Court of Appeal. He retired in 2022. The law mandates that no judge can be elected over the age of 70.

Rose was temporarily removed from her seat following the Supreme Court's 5-2 decision that "disqualified (Rose) from exercising any judicial function." They added that Rose threatened "serious harm to the public" if she continued to serve as a judge. 

Rose had been involved in several questionable decisions, including convicting a former Broadmoor Elementary teacher moments after acquitting her in an aggravated assault case. She also convicted a Baton Rouge police officer of a crime that doesn't exist.

The court's ruling disclosed the investigation and ordered that the probe be wrapped up within six months. Rose is currently running for a seat on the First Circuit Court of Appeal in November.