FERRIDAY, La. &045; Justin Conner won’t be deciding legal matters any time soon.

Conner, a Concordia Parish justice of the peace, has been temporarily removed from judicial activities in the wake of a vote-tampering case involving a mayoral election. Conner was suspended without pay until the case ends.

Conner and six other people have been indicted on charges of tampering with votes in an April 17, 2004 mayoral election in Ferriday. In that election, Ferriday Mayor Gene Allen beat out incumbent mayor Glen McGlothin by 71 votes in a hotly-contested race.

Conner, in a brief phone interview Thursday, said he’s not upset about being removed from his duties.

&uot;We’re doing fine. It will give us a little vacation time to get some other things done,&uot; Conner said.

The Louisiana Judiciary Commission has the right to temporarily suspend a justice charged with a &uot;serious crime,&uot; that is a felony or another crime that reflects adversely on the justice’s honesty. The commission found that both criteria had been met in Conner’s case according to papers submitted to the supreme court.

The state supreme court agreed with the commission’s findings earlier this week, removing Conner from his duties.

Conner and six others were charged with multiple counts of filing false public records and forgery as well as conspiracy to do so.

Papers filed with the supreme court state that Conner was contacted May 2 to see if he would take a voluntary leave of absence. Conner requested extra time in which to make a decision but never responded to the commission.

The state Attorney General’s office has declined comment on the case until it is finished.

The next court date for those indicted in the vote-tampering case, including Conner, is Aug. 3.