Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2017
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Louisiana had partisan special elections for local judicial offices in 2017. A primary election was held on October 14, 2017. A general election was scheduled for November 18, 2017, for races in which no candidate won a majority in the primary election. The filing deadline for candidates who wished to run in this election was July 14, 2017.[1]
Eight of the 10 contested races were decided in the October primary. The elections for the Division A seat on the 18th Judicial District Court and the Division J seat on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court were set to advance to the November general election. The 18th District general election was canceled when one of the candidates, Steve Marionneaux, withdrew from the race. The other candidate who advanced to the general election, Kevin Kimball, was automatically elected, and the race did not appear on the ballot.[2] D. Nicole Sheppard defeated Omar Mason in the general election for the seat on the Orleans Parish court.
Louisiana previously held a primary election for local judicial offices on March 25, 2017, and a general election on April 29, 2017. Republican candidate A. Brett Harlan defeated Democratic candidate Belvin Bruins in the March primary for District B justice of the peace on the Grant Parish Justice of the Peace Court. Democratic candidate Rachael Johnson defeated fellow Democrat Suzanne Montero in the April general election for Division B judge on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
Eight additional candidates ran unopposed. Those candidates were declared elected after the end of the candidate filing period on January 13, 2017, and their names did not appear on the ballot.[3][4]
For more information about the 2017 appellate court elections in the state, click here.
Louisiana elections use the Louisiana 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, see this article.
Elections[edit]
Contested general elections[edit]
Fall election[edit]
18th Judicial District Court, ES 4, Division A[edit]
Incumbent James J. Best retired on May 15, 2017.[5] Steve Marionneaux withdrew from the race before the general election, so Kevin Kimball won automatically and the race did not appear on the ballot.[2]
☑ Kevin Kimball 
☐ Steve Marionneaux
Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division J[edit]
Incumbent Paula Brown was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal on March 25, 2017.
☐ Omar Mason
☑ D. Nicole Sheppard
Spring election[edit]
Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division B[edit]
Incumbent Regina Bartholomew Woods was elected to the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in November 2016.
☑ Rachael Johnson
☐ Suzanne Montero
Contested primary elections[edit]
Fall election[edit]
18th Judicial District Court, ES 4, Division A[edit]
Incumbent James J. Best retired on May 15, 2017.[5]
☐ Lonny Guidroz
☑ Kevin Kimball
☑ Steve Marionneaux
22nd Judicial District Court, Division E[edit]
Incumbent William J. Burris opted not to run for re-election.[6]
☑ William H. "Billy" Burris 
☐ James "Jay" Adair
22nd Judicial District Court, Division H[edit]
Incumbent Allison H. Penzato was elected to the First Circuit Court of Appeal in January 2017.[7]
☐ Reginald "Reggie" Laurent
☑ Alan Zaunbrecher
26th Judicial District Court, Division C[edit]
Incumbent Jeff Cox was elected to the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in November 2016.
☐ Cynthia Carroll-Bridges
☑ Lane Pittard
30th Judicial District Court, Division A[edit]
Incumbent Vernon B. Clark retired in December 2017.[8]
☐ Lisa Nelson
☑ Tony Bennett 
Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division J[edit]
Incumbent Paula Brown was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal on March 25, 2017.
☑ Omar Mason
☐ Edward "Ed" Morris
☐ Morris Reed Sr.
☑ D. Nicole Sheppard
Calcasieu Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 7 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Chad Ivery Perry resigned on January 11, 2017.[9]
☐ Teddy McNiel
☑ Kevin Merchant
Lafourche Parish 4th Justice of the Peace Court, Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Lois L. Gautreaux passed away on June 3, 2017.[10]
☐ Stacy Hernandez
☑ Martin Wade 
Ouachita Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 2 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Tommy Brunt passed away on December 15, 2016.[11]
☐ Richard Winder
☑ Willard Ray
Tangipahoa Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 2 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Kathy Dale Forrest passed away on December 10, 2016.[12]
☐ Juandalynn Brumfield
☐ Margie Simmons
☑ Vickie Yarborough Blades
Spring election[edit]
Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division B[edit]
Incumbent Regina Bartholomew Woods was elected to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal in November 2016.
☑ Rachael Johnson
☑ Suzanne Montero
☐ Marie Williams
Grant Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District B Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Gregory W. Tolbert (D) resigned in September 2016.
☐ Belvin Bruins
☑ A. Brett Harlan
Uncontested seats[edit]
Fall election[edit]
16th Judicial District Court, ES 2, Division B[edit]
Incumbent Paul deMahy retired at the end of 2017.[13]
☑ Suzanne de Mahy
Acadia Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 3 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Calcasieu Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 6 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Franklin Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District 8 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Clay Nichols resigned in July 2015.[14][15]
☑ Matt Reynolds
Grant Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District A Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Denise Pearson resigned on January 31, 2017.[16]
☑ John Timothy "Tim" Coolman
Jackson Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District B Justice of the Peace[edit]
Winn Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 8 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Incumbent Kirsten Allen passed away on September 15, 2016.[17]
☑ Terry Mixon
Spring election[edit]
Cameron Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 2 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Concordia Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District 2 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Pointe Coupee Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District 7 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Pointe Coupee Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District 10 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Rapides Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 5, 2nd Justice Court Justice of the Peace[edit]
St. Charles Parish Justice of the Peace Court, District 5 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Washington Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 1 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Winn Parish Justice of the Peace Court, Ward 6 Justice of the Peace[edit]
Additional elections on the ballot[edit]
Fall election[edit]
The fall elections shared the ballot with a special election for Louisiana state treasurer, and the primaries shared the ballot with three statewide ballot measures. The primary for Ward 2 justice of the peace in Ouachita Parish also shared the ballot with an election for a seat on the Second Circuit Court of Appeal; the primary for justice of the peace of the Lafourche Parish 4th Justice of the Peace Court shared the ballot with a special election for the District 2 seat on the Louisiana Public Service Commission; and the primary for the Division J seat on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court shared the ballot with an election for a seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal, mayoral and city council races in New Orleans, and an election for Orleans Parish coroner.
Spring election[edit]
The spring primary election for the Division B seat on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court shared the ballot with an election for a seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal.
Election rules[edit]
Primary election[edit]
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.[18]
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[edit]
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.[18]
General election[edit]
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.[18]
Recent news[edit]
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Louisiana judicial election. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also[edit]
| Local courts | Louisiana | Other local coverage |
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Footnotes[edit]
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2017 Elections," accessed July 15, 2015
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Advocate, "Attorney Kevin Kimball Elected Judge After Other Candidate Drops Out of the 18th Judicial District Court Race," October 20, 2017
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "RS 18:511, Subpart F. Election of Candidates," accessed March 23, 2017
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Unofficial Results," accessed April 29, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 The Advocate, "Judge James Best Announces Retirement, Ending 24 Years as Judge for 18th District," March 14, 2017
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Billy Burris to Seek His Retiring Father's North Shore Judgeship," May 4, 2017
- ↑ The Roanoke Times, "Penzato Elected Unopposed to Louisiana Appeals Court," January 14, 2017
- ↑ Leesville Daily Leader, "Judge Rejects Acquittal Motion, Gives Dotson Consecutive Life Sentences," October 13, 2017
- ↑ State of Louisiana, "Special Election - Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Peace Ward 4, Parish of Calcasieu," accessed October 30, 2017
- ↑ Houma Today, "Lois Gautreaux," June 6, 2017
- ↑ State of Louisiana, "Special Election - Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Peace Ward 2, Parish of Ouachita," accessed October 30, 2017
- ↑ McKneely Funeral Home, "Kathy Dale Forrest," accessed October 30, 2017
- ↑ The Acadiana Advocate, "16th JDC Judge Paul Demahy to Retire at End of Year," May 22, 2017
- ↑ The Franklin Sun, "JP Resigns Over Same-Sex Marriage Decision," July 15, 2015
- ↑ The Franklin Sun, "New Election Called for District 8 Justice of Peace," February 21, 2017
- ↑ State of Louisiana, "Special Election - Justice of the Peace, Justice of the Peace District A, Parish of Grant," accessed October 30, 2017
- ↑ Winn Parish Enterprise, "Kirsten Ione Allen," September 21, 2016
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "How are Candidates Elected?" accessed May 1, 2014
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