The Louisiana Supreme Court has suspended prominent Baton Rouge civil rights attorney Ron Haley Jr. for "threat of harm," according to an order from the state's court of authority that was signed Wednesday.
Haley, who has been licensed to practice law since 2007, is one of East Baton Rouge Parish's most active criminal defense attorneys and remains busy as a civil rights legal advocate.
But according to the interim suspension, which took immediate effect Tuesday, he is barred from practicing, pending further orders from the Supreme Court.
The one-page order obtained by The Advocate did not list specifics, but indicated the Office of Disciplinary Counsel petitioned for Haley's suspension.
The Supreme Court previously suspended Haley for six months in December 2021, determining he violated the rules of professional conduct for lawyers.
That suspension followed an investigation into allegations he neglected a legal matter, failed to communicate with a client, inappropriately attempted to settle a malpractice claim with a client and failed to return a client’s file upon request.
Haley has been involved in a number of high-profile cases across the state. He represented Ronald Greene’s family in a federal wrongful death lawsuit against several Louisiana State troopers who killed the 49-year-old Black motorist in May 2020 following a high-speed chase outside of Monroe in north Louisiana.
Haley was also part of the legal team for Aaron Larry Bowman, a Black suspect who was repeatedly struck by a state trooper armed with a flashlight during a traffic stop in Ouachita Parish 20 days after Greene’s death.
Locally, Haley defended Baton Rouge rapper Lit Yoshi in a 2020 shooting that stemmed from a beef between rival rap crews. Yoshi, whose real name is Mieyoshi Edwards, pleaded guilty to attempted murder and assault by drive-by. District Judge Tarvald Smith sentenced him to 15 years in July 2022, court records show.
More recently, Haley helped get former auto body shop owner Kevin Hewitt Dukes acquitted. Dukes, 49, was tried for second-degree murder last August, accused of killing 55-year-old Julius Thomas Sr. and dumping his remains in Livingston Parish in December 2018. A jury found him not guilty after more than eight days of testimony.
In another high-profile case, Haley defended Jaicedric Albert Isaac Williams, who was indicted in connection with an October 2022 shooting at a Southern University homecoming party that left 11 people wounded. State prosecutors dismissed the attempted murder indictments, and Williams pleaded guilty to weapons charges in September 2024. A judge sentenced him to 10 years.
As part of the suspension order, the Office of Disciplinary Counsel can appoint trustees to “protect interests of (Haley’s) clients” in his absence.
Staff writer Patrick Sloan-Turner contributed to this story.