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Louisiana judicial elections, 2016
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Six seats on Louisiana's state-level courts were on the ballot on November 8, 2016. Two seats on the Louisiana Supreme Court joined four seats on the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal in the 2016 elections. A general election was scheduled for December 10, 2016.
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.
Justice Jeannette Theriot Knoll (D) and Justice Marcus Clark (R) held the two supreme court seats 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.
Four appeals court judges in three circuits were up for election in 2016. Each judge elected to an appeals court serves a 10-year term.
Candidates
Supreme Court
Third District
■ James Genovese (R) |
Fourth District■ Marcus Clark (R) |
Circuit Courts of Appeal
Second Circuit, Second District, Division C■ Jay Caraway (R) (Incumbent) Third Circuit, First District, Division B
■ J. Christopher Peters (D) Peters is the son of incumbent Judge Jimmie Peters.[1][2] |
Third Circuit, First District, Division C■ Shannon Gremillion (D) Fourth Circuit, First District, Division D
■ Regina Bartholomew Woods (D) |
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 | ||
| Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal 2016, Second District, Division C, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican | Jeff Cox |
56.90% | 58,874 | |
| Republican | Jay Caraway Incumbent | 43.10% | 44,604 | |
| Total Votes (347 of 347 reporting: 100%) | 103,478 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
| Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal 2016, First District, Division B, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Van H. Kyzar |
51.25% | 53,627 | |
| Democratic | J. Christopher Peters | 48.75% | 51,014 | |
| Total Votes (354 of 354 reporting: 100%) | 104,641 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
| Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal 2016, First District, Division C, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Shannon Gremillion Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||
| Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal 2016, First District, Division D, 2016 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Regina Bartholomew Woods |
65.45% | 94,436 | |
| Democratic | Laurie A. White | 34.55% | 49,849 | |
| Total Votes (351 of 351 reporting: 100%) | 144,285 | |||
| Source: Louisiana Secretary of State Official Results | ||||
Selection
- See also: Judicial selection in Louisiana
Primary election
Judges compete in a primary election against candidates of all parties--what is sometimes called a "jungle primary." 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.[4]
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 Louisiana Secretary of State website. The SOS gives the following example:
- 1040 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.[4]
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.[4]
Becoming a candidate
Qualifications
To qualify for an election, a candidate must meet the individual requirements for the office he or she seeks.[5] To view these specific requirements—which pertain to law experience, length of residency and age—visit Ballotpedia's Louisiana judicial selection page.
Declaration of candidacy
Candidates must submit a notice of candidacy form to the Louisiana Secretary of State's Office. On this form, the candidate indicates that he or she:
- is a registered voter;
- is not currently under an order of imprisonment for conviction of a felony;
- has filed federal and state income tax returns each of the last five years, or filed an extension (or was not required to do so);
- agrees to the state's campaign finance requirements;
- does not owe any outstanding fines, fees or penalties pursuant to the Code of Governmental Ethics; and
- is knowledgeable of governmental ethics offenses.[6]
Fees and nominating petitions
Candidates are required to either pay a fee (varying by judgeship; see the Louisiana judicial elections page) or file a nominating petition with a required number of signatures. An additional State Central Committee fee is collected from each Republican and Democratic candidate.[7]
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
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms 'Louisiana supreme court' OR 'Louisiana court election' OR 'Louisiana elections 2016'. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Jena High School Alumni Association, "J Christopher Peters, District Judge," May 23, 2013
- ↑ KALB, "LA Third Circuit Court of Appeal candidates speak at Exchange Club forum," October 6, 2016
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Judge Regina Bartholomew Woods to qualify for 4th Circuit election," July 19, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "How are Candidates Elected?" accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Qualifications of Candidates," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Qualify for an Election," accessed May 1, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Fees/Nominating Petitions to Qualify for Office," accessed May 1, 2014
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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
