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D. Nicole Sheppard
D. Nicole Sheppard is a judge for Division J of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in Louisiana. Sheppard's current term ends on December 31, 2026.
Sheppard (Democratic Party) won re-election for the Division J judge of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in Louisiana outright in the primary on November 3, 2020, after the primary and general election were canceled.
Sheppard was previously a candidate for the Orleans Parish Traffic Court in 2013.[1]
Biography
Sheppard earned an undergraduate degree from Southern University at New Orleans and a J.D. from Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge.[2]
At the time of her 2017 run for office, Sheppard was the founder of the Sheppard Williams Law Firm. Her professional experience also includes work as an adjunct professor at Dillard University, Southern University at New Orleans, and Delgado Community College and as the host of the local television talk shows Real Life, Traffic Time, and Real Life: Law Edition. Sheppard has served as the academic committee cochair and board vice chair for the Algiers Charter School Association.
Elections
2020
See also: City elections in New Orleans, Louisiana (2020)
Louisiana elections use the majority-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.
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. D. Nicole Sheppard (D) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
2017
Louisiana had partisan elections for local judicial offices in 2017. A primary election was held on October 14, 2017, and a general election was held on November 18, 2017. Primary and general elections were also held on March 25, 2017, and April 29, 2017, respectively.
The candidate filing deadline for the spring elections was January 13, 2017, and the deadline for the fall elections was July 14, 2017. In Louisiana, judicial candidates who are unopposed as of the end of the candidate filing period are automatically declared elected, and their names do not appear on the ballot.[3][4] D. Nicole Sheppard (D) defeated Omar Mason (D) in the general election for the Division J seat on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court.[5]
| Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division J, General Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  D. Nicole Sheppard |
58.38% | 45,226 | |
| Democratic | Omar Mason | 41.62% | 32,241 | |
| Total Votes | 77,467 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," accessed December 22, 2017 | ||||
D. Nicole Sheppard (D) and Omar Mason (D) defeated Morris Reed Sr. (D) and Edward Morris (D) in the primary election for the Division J seat on the Orleans Parish Civil District Court.[5]
| Orleans Parish Civil District Court, Division J, Primary Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | D. Nicole Sheppard |
38.82% | 26,841 | |
| Democratic | Omar Mason |
27.72% | 19,163 | |
| Democratic | Morris Reed Sr. | 19.01% | 13,140 | |
| Democratic | Edward Morris | 14.45% | 9,990 | |
| Total Votes | 69,134 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," accessed October 30, 2017 | ||||
Selection method
- 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.[6]
The district courts select chief judges by peer vote (with term lengths that vary by individual court).[6]
Qualifications
To serve on this court, a judge must be:[6][7]
- 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)
2013
Sheppard ran for election to the Orleans Parish Traffic Court. She was defeated in the primary on October 19, 2013, receiving 9.3 percent of the vote.[8][9]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
D. Nicole Sheppard did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Endorsements
2017
Sheppard received endorsements from the following in 2017:[10]
- Boulevard Magazine
- AFL-CIO
- Algiers Political Action Committee
- Alliance for Good Government
- Baptist Pastors Conference
- Crescent City Democratic Association
- Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance
- Lake Area Voters Association
- Mid City Democrats
- New Orleans East Leadership
- Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee
- Regular Democratic Organization of Louisiana
- Women on the Move
See also
2020 Elections
External links
|
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Official Election Results," accessed November 18, 2017
- ↑ D. Nicole Sheppard - Civil District Judge Div. J, "Meet Nicole," accessed November 18, 2017
- ↑ Louisiana State Legislature, "RS 18:511, Subpart F: Election of Candidates," accessed March 23, 2017
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2017 Elections," accessed February 1, 2017
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry," accessed July 15, 2017
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 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
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State: Elections & Voting, 10/19/2013 Candidates (Select "Races in a Parish" & "Orleans")
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State: Unofficial Election Results by Parish, October 19, 2013
- ↑ D. Nicole Sheppard - Civil District Judge Div. J, "Home," accessed November 18, 2017
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
