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Louisiana Supreme Court elections, 2016
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| 2016 State Judicial Elections |
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| Part 1: Overview |
| Part 2: Supreme Courts |
| Part 3: Partisanship |
| Part 4: Changes in 2016 |
Two seats on the Louisiana Supreme Court were on the November 8 ballot.
These seats were held by Justice Jeannette Theriot Knoll (D) and Marcus Clark (R) heading into the election. Each justice elected to the court serves a 10-year term. The court had a 4-3 Republican majority prior to the 2016 race.
Candidates
Third District
■ James Genovese (R) |
Fourth District■ Marcus Clark (R) |
Election results
November 8 primary election
| Louisiana Supreme Court 2016, Third District, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  James Genovese |
50.91% | 133,389 | |
| Republican | Marilyn Castle | 49.09% | 128,598 | |
| Total Votes (538 of 538 reporting: 100%) | 261,987 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
| Louisiana Supreme Court 2016, Fourth District, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Republican | Marcus Clark Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||
Political composition
Louisian's supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. The court had a 4-3 Republican majority prior to the 2016 election.
Justice Greg Guidry
Justice Marcus Clark
Justice Scott Crichton
Justice Jefferson Hughes
Chief Justice Bernette Johnson
Justice Jeannette Theriot Knoll
Justice John L. Weimer
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Louisiana
The court has seven justices who are elected for 10-year terms in partisan elections from seven districts.
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 of Louisiana was given a campaign finance score (CFscore), which was calculated for judges in October 2012. At that time, Louisiana received a score of 0.35. 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.[1]
Qualifications
A qualified candidate for the Supreme Court of Louisiana must have been admitted to practice law in the state for five years, must have lived in the respective district, circuit, or parish for two years, and must be younger than 70 years old, and if the candidate held a prior office, he or she must resign at least 24 hours prior to the date of qualifying for another office.[2] The qualification form for the Louisiana Supreme Court is available here.
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) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here 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 census here. | ||
Presidential voting pattern
- See also: Presidential voting trends in Louisiana
Louisiana voted 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...
Recent news
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See also
External links
Footnotes
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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
