APNewsBreak: Judge retires after leave for alcoholism care

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) - A federal judge in Louisiana has retired several months after taking medical leave for treatment of severe alcoholism, a court official said Wednesday.

U.S. District Judge Patricia Minaldi's disability retirement took effect on Monday, according to Tony Moore, clerk of court for the Western District of Louisiana.

Court records unsealed in April revealed Minaldi was required to get treatment for alcoholism so severe that a colleague asked a court to rule she cannot take care of herself.

An Associated Press investigation showed Minaldi's pattern of unusual behavior on the bench preceding her mysterious removal from a string of cases last year.

Minaldi had been on medical leave since late December.

The unsealed court records were part of a lawsuit filed by a longtime friend and colleague, U.S. Magistrate Kathleen Kay. The lawsuit challenged Minaldi's physical and mental capacity to manage her personal and financial affairs.

The records showed Minaldi moved into an assisted living facility specializing in "memory care" within three months of presiding over a criminal trial that was cut short without explanation.

Minaldi began serving as a judge in the district's Lake Charles division after her nomination in 2003 by then-President George W. Bush.

Her retirement leaves the Lake Charles division without a district judge. Moore said the Western District of Louisiana, currently served by three active district judges, has three other judicial vacancies.