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Piper Griffin
2021 - Present
2030
4
Piper Griffin (Democratic Party) is a judge for the 7th District of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She assumed office on January 1, 2021. Her current term ends on December 31, 2030.
Griffin (Democratic Party) won election for the 7th District judge of the Louisiana Supreme Court outright after the general election on December 5, 2020, was canceled.
Griffin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.
Griffin succeeded retired Justice Bernette Johnson (D) on the state supreme court.[1] Griffin and Terri Love (D) advanced from the 2020 primary election, and Love withdrew from the race on November 6, 2020, making Griffin the winner. To read more about judicial selection in Louisiana, click here.
Biography
Piper Griffin was born in Demopolis, Alabama, and lived in New Orleans, Louisiana, as of 2020. Griffin earned a B.A. in government from the University of Notre Dame in 1984 and a J.D. from Louisiana State University in 1987.[2][3]
Griffin was an attorney before being elected to the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in 2001. She served as chief judge of that court from 2008 to 2010. She was elected to the state supreme court in 2020.[3][4]
Griffin was the first African American chair of the New Orleans Bar Association's Young Lawyer’s Section. She was president of the Louisiana Judicial Council/National Bar Association.[4]
Elections
2020
See also: Louisiana Supreme Court elections, 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.
General election
The general election was canceled. Piper Griffin won election in the general election for Louisiana Supreme Court 7th District.
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Terri Love (D)
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Louisiana Supreme Court 7th District
Piper Griffin and Terri Love defeated Sandra Cabrina Jenkins in the primary for Louisiana Supreme Court 7th District on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Piper Griffin (D)  | 43.9 | 78,603 |
| ✔ |  | Terri Love (D) | 31.5 | 56,387 |
 | Sandra Cabrina Jenkins (D) | 24.6 | 43,949 | |
| Total votes: 178,939 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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2014
- See also: Louisiana judicial elections, 2014
Griffin ran for re-election to the Orleans Parish Judicial District.
As an unopposed candidate, she was automatically re-elected without appearing on the ballot.[5]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Piper Griffin completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Griffin's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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- Ensure accessible justice and equal protection under the law
- Promote accountability and professionalism throughout the judiciary
- Enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of court operation
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
State supreme court judicial selection in Louisiana
- See also: Judicial selection in Louisiana
The seven justices on the Louisiana Supreme Court are selected through partisan elections. Justices are elected to 10-year terms, and must face re-election if they wish to serve again.[6]
Unlike most states, supreme court justices in Louisiana are elected to represent specific districts. The seven justices are divided evenly among seven supreme court districts (not to be confused with the 42 divisions of the district courts) and are voted into office by the residents of their respective regions.[7] Only the states of Illinois, Kentucky, and Mississippi use a similar system.
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)[6][8]
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.[6]
Vacancies
Per Article V of the Louisiana Constitution, midterm vacancies are to be temporarily filled by the remaining members of 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.[6][9] The justice elected at the special election will serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[10][11]
The map below highlights how vacancies are filled in state supreme courts across the country.
See also
External links
|
Candidate Louisiana Supreme Court 7th District |
Officeholder Louisiana Supreme Court 7th District |
Footnotes
- ↑ Associated Press, "Piper Griffin wins La. Supreme Court runoff after opponent drops out," November 6, 2020
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on October 2, 2020
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Piper Griffin for Judge, "About," accessed January 14, 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Louisiana Supreme Court, "ASSOCIATE JUSTICE PIPER D. GRIFFIN," accessed August 4, 2021
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "11/04/2014 - Judge Civil District Court, Division I," accessed August 4, 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 American Judicature Society, "Methods of Judicial Selection: Louisiana; Selection of Judges," archived October 2, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Supreme Court, "Maps of Judicial Districts," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ NOLA.com, "Lawmakers fail to pass amendment eliminating mandatory retirement age of judges," archived March 9, 2016
- ↑ Louisiana Supreme Court, "Henry Julien v. The Honorable W. Fox McKeithan," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Revised Statutes "RS 13:101.1," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ Leagle, "Marcelle v. DeCuir," September 21, 1995
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
