Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal

	Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal
	Court information
Judges:	8
Founded:	1981
Salary:	Associates: $182,007
	Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	10 years

Jurisdiction of the current courts

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal in Louisiana was established in 1981. David C. Treen was governor at the time the 1981 Regular Session of the Louisiana Legislature created the court under Act 3 of said legislative body.

The Fifth Circuit's jurisdiction covers four parishes: Jefferson, St. Charles, St. James, and St. John the Baptist.

From May 1982 to December 31, 1982, Julian Samuel presided over the court as its first Chief Judge.

The court is located in Jefferson Parish (101 Derbigny Street, Gretna, LA 70053). It was built by Gibbs Construction, L.L.C., whose $6.4 million won the legislative contract.^[1]

Published opinions of the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal can be found here.

Judges

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
Marc E. Johnson	2009 - Present
Fredericka Homberg Wicker	2006 - Present
John J. Molaison Jr.	January 1, 2019 - Present
Stephen J. Windhorst	2012 - Present
Susan M. Chehardy	1998 - Present
Scott Schlegel	January 1, 2024 - Present
Jude G. Gravois	2009 - Present
Timothy Marcel	January 1, 2024 - Present

Salary

See also: Louisiana court salaries and budgets

In 2025, the associate judges of the court received a salary of $182,007, according to the National Center for State Courts.^[3]

Judicial selection

See also: Judicial selection in Louisiana

The 53 justices on the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal are elected in partisan elections. Justices serve 10-year terms and must run for re-election if they wish to continue serving on the court.^[4]

Qualifications

To serve on this court, a judge must be:

licensed to practice law in the state for at least ten years;
a resident of the district representing for at least one year;
under the age of 70 at the time of election (judges who turn 70 in office may serve until their term expires)^[4]^[5]

Chief justice

The chief justice is the justice on the court with the most seniority. When he or she retires, the justice with the next most seniority becomes chief justice.^[4]

Vacancies

Per Article V of the Louisiana Constitution, midterm vacancies are to be temporarily filled by the supreme court. Within one year of the opening, a special election (called by the governor, preferably on the date of a preexisting gubernatorial or congressional election) is to be held. If the supreme court has appointed a successor, that appointee may not run for the seat in the special election. The justice elected at the special election will serve the remainder of the unexpired term.^[4]^[6]^[7]^[8]

Elections

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.

Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

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.

General election

The general election scheduled for December 7, 2024, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for November 5, 2024, was canceled. Incumbent Marc E. Johnson (D) won election in the primary for Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District without appearing on the ballot.

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.

Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

General election

The general election scheduled for November 18, 2023, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for October 14, 2023, was canceled. Scott Schlegel (R) won election in the special primary for Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District without appearing on the ballot.

Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

General election

The general election scheduled for November 18, 2023, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for October 14, 2023, was canceled. Timothy Marcel (D) won election in the special primary for Louisiana 5th Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District without appearing on the ballot.

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.