Louisiana Parish Courts
Courts
There are three parish courts in Louisiana. These courts have jurisdiction in civil cases worth up to $10,000 and in criminal cases punishable by fines of up to $1,000 or up to six months imprisonment. They are similar to the city courts, except they have broader jurisdiction and they are staffed by full-time judges.[1]
Jefferson Parish
1st Parish Court:
- Division A: Rebecca M. Olivier
- Division B: John Lee Jr.[2]
2nd Parish Court:
- Division A: Roy M. Cascio
- Division B: Raylyn Beevers[2]
Former judges
Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish Court:
See also
External links
- Louisiana Secretary of State, "Elected Officials," accessed May 8, 2014
- Louisiana.gov, "Judicial Branch," accessed May 8, 2014
Elections
- See also: Louisiana judicial elections
Louisiana is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Louisiana, click here.
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2024
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2023
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2022
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2021
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2020
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2019
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2017
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2015
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2014
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2013
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2012
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2011
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2010
Selection method
- See also: Partisan elections
Judges of the Louisiana Parish Courts are each elected to six-year terms. The elections for this court are partisan contested elections. To serve on this court, a judge must be a local resident for one year, younger than 70 years old, and have eight years experience of practicing law in the state and a law degree.[3]
Election rules
Primary election
Judges compete in a primary election against candidates of all parties. If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote (a "majority vote"), the top two candidates run against each other in the general election. If a candidate does receive a majority vote in the primary, he or she is declared elected as an unopposed candidate and will not be listed on the general election ballot.[4]
In even-numbered years, Louisiana's primary elections are held in November during the general elections of other states.
For two or more open seats
In the event that candidates are competing for more than one open seat on a court, the majority vote is decided by "dividing the total votes cast for all of the candidates by the number of offices to be filled [and] dividing the result so obtained by two," according to the Secretary of State website. The SOS goes on to give the following example:
- 1,040 total votes cast ÷ 3 offices to be filled ＝ 346.6
- 346.6 ÷ 2 ＝ 173.3
In the above example, 174 votes are necessary to win for each of the 3 offices.[4]
General election
A general election is won by obtaining the highest number of votes. In the case of races with two or more open seats, the two or more candidates with the highest votes are declared the winners. If there is a tie, an additional election will be scheduled for the third Saturday after the announcement of the election results.[4]
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Supreme Court, "FAQ - About The Court; How many other courts are there in Louisiana?" accessed May 8, 2014
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Elected Officials," accessed March 30, 2015 (Select "By Parish" and scroll to parish name)
- ↑ American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Louisiana; Limited Jurisdiction Courts," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "How are Candidates Elected?" accessed May 1, 2014
