William H. Burris
William H. Burris is a judge of the Louisiana 22nd Judicial District Court Division E.
Burris (Republican Party) is running in a special election for the 1st District judge of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He is on the ballot in the special Republican primary on May 16, 2026.[source]
Biography
Burris earned a B.A. in philosophy with a concentration in East Asian religious studies from Louisiana State University and a J.D. from Southern University Law Center. At the time of his 2017 run for office, he owned his own law practice, William H. Burris, LLC.[1][2]
Elections
2026
See also: Louisiana Supreme Court elections, 2026
Beginning in the 2026 elections, Louisiana elections for U.S. Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education use a closed partisan primary and primary runoff system. Candidates for those offices no longer run in majority-vote system primaries.
General election
The primary will occur on May 16, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Republican primary
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
Special Republican primary for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st District
William H. Burris (R) and Blair Downing Edwards (R) are running in the special Republican primary for Louisiana Supreme Court 1st District on May 16, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | William H. Burris | |
 | Blair Downing Edwards | |
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Endorsements
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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] William H. Burris (R) defeated James Adair (R) in the primary election for the Division E seat on the 22nd Judicial District Court.[5]
| 22nd Judicial District Court, Division E, Primary Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Republican |  William H. Burris |
50.45% | 16,277 | |
| Republican | James Adair | 49.55% | 15,985 | |
| Total Votes | 32,262 | |||
| 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)
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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Campaign finance summary
Campaign finance information for this candidate is not yet available from OpenSecrets. That information will be published here once it is available.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ LinkedIn, "William Burris," accessed October 11, 2017
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "Billy Burris to Seek His Retiring Father's North Shore Judgeship," May 4, 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
- ↑ 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
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
