Louisiana Supreme Court special elections, 2019
- Primary: Oct. 12
- General election: Nov. 16
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 16 (in-person and mail) or Oct. 26 (online)
- Early voting: Nov. 2-Nov. 9
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 15
- Online registration:Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: Photo ID required
- Poll times: 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m (7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. for elections that fall on a Saturday)
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The District 1 seat on theLouisiana Supreme Court was up for special primary election on October 12, 2019. The general election was on November 16. Elections for the court are partisan. The filing deadline for interested candidates was August 8, 2019.[1]
The seat was left vacant after JusticeGreg Guidry was appointed to a spot on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. On January 17, 2019, PresidentDonald Trump (R) nominated Guidry to a seat on this court. TheU.S. Senate confirmed Guidry on June 19, 2019, by a vote of 53-46, and he received commission on June 21, 2019.[2]
Louisiana elections use theLouisiana majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, seethis article.
Candidates
District 1 (Guidry's seat)
See also: Louisiana Supreme Court special elections, 2019
Louisiana elections use themajority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
General election
Special general election for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st District
William J. Crain defeatedHans J. Liljeberg in the special general election for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st District on November 16, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | William J. Crain (R) | 57.3 | 127,211 |
 | Hans J. Liljeberg (R) | 42.7 | 94,875 | |
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source | Total votes: 222,086 (100.00% precincts reporting) | ||
 = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Nonpartisan primary election
Special nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st District
William J. Crain andHans J. Liljeberg defeatedScott Schlegel andRichard Ducote in the special primary for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st District on October 12, 2019.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | William J. Crain (R) | 38.6 | 73,534 |
| ✔ | | Hans J. Liljeberg (R) | 32.5 | 61,859 |
 | Scott Schlegel (R) | 17.5 | 33,242 | |
| Richard Ducote (R) | 11.5 | 21,810 | ||
| There were noincumbents in this race. The results have been certified. | Total votes: 190,445 | ||
| = candidate completed theBallotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you,complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data?Contact our sales team. | ||||
About the court
TheLouisiana Supreme Court is the highest state court inLouisiana. According to the Constitution of Louisiana, "The judge oldest in point of service on the supreme court shall be chief justice. He is the chief administrative officer of the judicial system of the state, subject to rules adopted by the court."[3]
The court, which has it judicial roots in the 18th century French and Spanish governments of Louisiana, has discretionary jurisdiction in civil and criminal cases. Prior to 1980, criminal appellate jurisdiction was within the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court, however, with a constitutional amendment that became effective on July 1, 1982, this jurisdiction was transferred to thecourts of appeal. The only exception to this is in cases where the death penalty has been imposed.[4]
Selection
- See also:Judicial selection in Louisiana
The court has seven justices that are elected for 10-year terms inpartisan elections fromseven districts.
Qualifications
A qualified candidate for the Supreme Court of Louisiana must have been admitted to practice law in the state for 10 years, must have been domiciled in the respective district, circuit or parish for one year preceding election and must be younger than 70 years old.[5][6]
Political outlook
In October 2012, political science professors Adam Bonica and Michael Woodruff of Stanford University attempted to determine the partisan outlook of state supreme court justices in their paper, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns." A score above 0 indicated a more conservative-leaning ideology while scores below 0 were more liberal. The state Supreme Court ofLouisiana was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time,Louisiana received a score of0.35. Based on the justices selected,Louisiana was the 13th most conservative court. The study was based on data from campaign contributions by judges themselves, the partisan leaning of contributors to the judges, or—in the absence of elections—the ideology of the appointing body (governor or legislature). This study was not a definitive label of a justice but rather an academic gauge of various factors.[7]
State profile
| Demographic data for Louisiana | ||
|---|---|---|
| Louisiana | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 4,668,960 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 43,204 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 62.8% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 32.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 1.7% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.6% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 1.8% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 4.7% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 83.4% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 22.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $45,047 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 23.3% | 11.3% |
| Source:U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Clickhere for more information on the 2020 census andhere for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Louisiana. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the censushere. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
Louisianavoted Republican in all seven presidential elections between 2000 and 2024.
More Louisiana coverage on Ballotpedia
- Elections in Louisiana
- United States congressional delegations from Louisiana
- Public policy in Louisiana
- Endorsers in Louisiana
- Louisiana fact checks
- More...
Pivot Counties
- See also:Pivot Counties by state
There are no Pivot Counties in Louisiana. Pivot Counties are counties that voted forBarack Obama (D) in 2008 and 2012 and forDonald Trump (R) in 2016. Altogether, the nation had 206 Pivot Counties, with most being concentrated in upper midwestern and northeastern states.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑The Times-Picayune, "Jefferson Parish Judge Scott Schlegel announces bid for Supreme Court seat," June 30, 2019
- ↑Federal Judicial Center, "Guidry, Greg Gerard," accessed June 24, 2019
- ↑Louisiana.gov, "Supreme Court: Chief Justice," accessed September 3, 2015
- ↑Louisiana Supreme Court, "Court History," accessed September 3, 2015
- ↑Louisiana Supreme Court FAQs, "How does someone become a Louisiana Supreme Court Justice?" accessed September 3, 2015
- ↑The Times-Picayune, "Lawmakers fail to pass amendment eliminating mandatory retirement age of judges," June 3, 2013
- ↑Stanford University, "State Supreme Court Ideology and 'New Style' Judicial Campaigns," October 31, 2012
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Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court:Eastern District of Louisiana,Middle District of Louisiana,Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court:Eastern District of Louisiana,Middle District of Louisiana,Western District of Louisiana
State courts:
Louisiana Supreme Court•Louisiana Courts of Appeal•Louisiana District Courts•Louisiana City Courts•Louisiana Family Courts•Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts•Louisiana Juvenile Courts•Louisiana Mayor’s Courts•Louisiana Municipal Courts•Louisiana Parish Courts•Louisiana Traffic Courts
State resources:
Courts in Louisiana •Louisiana judicial elections •Judicial selection in Louisiana
