1st Judicial District, Louisiana
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The Louisiana 1st Judicial District Court resides in Louisiana. Click on the links below to learn more about the court's...
Jurisdiction
This court holds the following jurisdiction:[1]
| “ | §16. District Courts; Jurisdiction
Section 16.(A) Original Jurisdiction. (1) Except as otherwise authorized by this constitution or except as heretofore or hereafter provided by law for administrative agency determinations in worker's compensation matters, a district court shall have original jurisdiction of all civil and criminal matters. (2) It shall have exclusive original jurisdiction of felony cases and of cases involving title to immovable property, except as provided in (3) below; the right to office or other public position; civil or political right; probate and succession matters; except for administrative agency determination provided for in (1) above, the state, a political corporation, or political subdivisions, or a succession, as a defendant; and the appointment of receivers or liquidators for corporations or partnerships. (3) The legislature may provide by law that a family court has jurisdiction of cases involving title to movable and immovable property when those cases relate to the partition of community property and the settlement of claims arising from matrimonial regimes when such action arises as a result of divorce or annulment of marriage.[2] |
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Selection method
- See also: Judicial selection in the states
- See also: Partisan election of judges
There are 217 judges on the Louisiana District Courts, each elected to six-year terms. They must face re-election if they wish to serve again.[3]
The district courts select chief judges by peer vote (with term lengths that vary by individual court).[3]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[3][4]
- licensed to practice law in the state for at least eight years;
- a resident of the district represented for at least one year; and
- under the age of 70 at the time of election (judges who turn 70 in office may serve until their term expires)
Judicial elections in Louisiana
- See also: Louisiana judicial elections
Louisiana is one of 11 states that uses partisan elections to select judges and does not use retention elections for subsequent terms. To read more about how states use judicial elections to select judges across the country, click here.
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.[5]
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.[5]
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.[5]
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Constitution, "CONST 5 16 District Courts; Jurisdiction," accessed May 12, 2023
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Louisiana; Selection of Judges," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ NOLA.com, "Lawmakers fail to pass amendment eliminating mandatory retirement age of judges," June 3, 2013
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "How are Candidates Elected?" accessed May 1, 2014
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
