Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal

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Jurisdiction of the current courts

The Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal is one of five Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal. It consists of nine judges, who sit in panels of three to decide appeals and writ applications. The second circuit covers 20 of Louisiana's northernmost parishes.

History

Louisiana's intermediate appellate courts were created by the 1879 Constitution.

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

 

Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal
Court information
Judges:	9
Founded:	1879
Salary:	Associates: $182,007
Judicial selection
Method:	Partisan election of judges
Term:	10 years

Judges

Judge	Tenure	Appointed By
James M. Stephens	January 1, 2018 - Present
Daniel Ellender	January 1, 2023 - Present
Marcus Hunter	May 5, 2021 - Present
Craig Marcotte	April 25, 2022 - Present
Shonda Stone	2016 - Present
Frances Pitman	2012 - Present
Jeff Thompson	April 29, 2019 - Present
Jeff Robinson	February 11, 2021 - Present
Jeff Cox	2016 - 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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

Elections

• 2030
• 2028
• 2026
• 2024
• 2022
• 2021
• 2020
• 2019
• 2018

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2030

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 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2028

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 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2026

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.

There are no official candidates yet for this election.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2024

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 Shonda Stone (D) won election in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2022

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 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 10, 2022, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for November 8, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Marcus Hunter (D) won election in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District without appearing on the ballot.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 10, 2022, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for November 8, 2022, was canceled. Daniel Ellender (R) won election in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District without appearing on the ballot.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 10, 2022, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for November 8, 2022, was canceled. Incumbent Frances Pitman (R) won election in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District without appearing on the ballot.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

General election

The general election scheduled for April 30, 2022, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

Special Nonpartisan primary election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

Craig Marcotte (R) won election outright against Erin Leigh Waddell Garrett (R) in the special primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District on March 26, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Craig Marcotte (R)	57.6	11,365
		Erin Leigh Waddell Garrett (R)	42.4	8,371

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 19,736
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2021

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 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

General election

Special general election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

Marcus Hunter (D) defeated J. Garland Smith (D) in the special general election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District on April 24, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marcus Hunter (D)	61.5	3,579
	Submit photo	J. Garland Smith (D)	38.5	2,244

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Nonpartisan primary

Special Nonpartisan primary election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

Marcus Hunter (D) and J. Garland Smith (D) defeated Larry D. Jefferson (D) in the special primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District on March 20, 2021.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Marcus Hunter (D)	43.7	3,605
✔	Submit photo	J. Garland Smith (D)	31.9	2,628
	Submit photo	Larry D. Jefferson (D)	24.4	2,013

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 8,246
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

General election

The general election scheduled for April 24, 2021, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for March 20, 2021, was canceled. Jeff Robinson (R) won election in the special primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District without appearing on the ballot.

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate 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.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 5, 2020, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

The primary scheduled for November 3, 2020, was canceled. Incumbent Jeff Thompson (R) won election in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District without appearing on the ballot.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 5, 2020, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District

Incumbent Jeanette Garrett (Independent) won election outright against Trina Chu (Independent) in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jeanette Garrett (Independent)	76.9	59,340
		Trina Chu (Independent)	23.1	17,843

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 77,183
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

See also: Louisiana intermediate appellate court elections, 2019

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 May 4, 2019, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

Special Nonpartisan primary election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

Jeff Thompson (R) won election outright against Jason Brown (R) in the special primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District on March 30, 2019.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jeff Thompson (R)	75.8	7,337
	Submit photo	Jason Brown (R)	24.2	2,340

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,677
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

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 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 8, 2018, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District

Incumbent James M. Stephens (Independent) won election outright against Sharon Marchman (R) in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 1st District on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		James M. Stephens (Independent)	59.2	33,683
	Submit photo	Sharon Marchman (R)	40.8	23,258

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.	Total votes: 56,941
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

General election

The general election scheduled for April 28, 2018, was canceled. Jay B. McCallum (Independent) won election in the general election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District without appearing on the ballot.

Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

General election

The general election scheduled for December 8, 2018, was canceled.

Nonpartisan primary

Nonpartisan primary election for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District

Incumbent Jay B. McCallum (Independent) won election outright in the primary for Louisiana 2nd Circuit Court of Appeal 2nd District on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate
✔		Jay B. McCallum (Independent)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Previous election results

2016

Second Circuit, Second District, Division C

■ Jay Caraway (R) (Incumbent)
■ Jeff Cox (R)

Election results

November 8 general election

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

2014

Unopposed	Judge James Stewart (District 3 Section 1A)

2012

Candidate	Incumbency	Party	Place	Primary Vote	Election Vote
MatlockDavid Matlock	No	Republican	3rd Dist, Sec. 2B	46.26%
WilliamsFelicia Toney Williams	Yes	Democratic	1st District, Section C	100%A
PitmanFrances Pitman	No	Republican	3rd Dist, Sec. 2B	53.74%A
MooreMilton Moore	Yes	Democratic	1st District, Section 2B	100%A

Ethics

The Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct sets forth ethical guidelines and principles for the conduct of judges and judicial candidates in Louisiana. It consists of seven canons:

• Canon 1: A judge shall uphold the integrity and independence of the judiciary
• Canon 2: A judge shall avoid impropriety and the appearance of impropriety in all activities
• Canon 3: A judge shall perform the duties of office impartially and diligently
• Canon 4: Quasi-Judicial Activities: A judge may engage in quasi-judicial activities to improve the law, the legal system, and the administration of justice
• Canon 5: Extra-Judicial Activities: A judge shall regulate extra-judicial activities to minimize the risk of conflict with judicial duties
• Canon 6: A judge may accept reasonable compensation and expenses for quasi-judicial and extra-judicial activities; a judge may not accept gifts, loans, bequests, benefits, favors or other things of value except under restricted circumstances; a judge must report compensation, gifts, loans, bequests, benefits, favors and other things in some circumstances
• Canon 7: A judge or judicial candidate shall refrain from inappropriate political and campaign activity

The full text of the Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct can be found here.

Removal of judges

Judges in Louisiana may be removed in one of two ways:

• By the Louisiana Supreme Court after recommendation from the Louisiana Judiciary Commission
• By a two-thirds vote of the Louisiana State Senate upon impeachment by the Louisiana House of Representatives

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...

See also

Louisiana	Judicial Selection	More Courts
Courts in Louisiana Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal Louisiana Supreme Court	Elections: 2026 • 2025 • 2024 • 2023 • 2022 • 2021 • 2020 • 2019 • 2018 • 2017 Gubernatorial appointments Judicial selection in Louisiana	Federal courts State courts Local courts

External links

• Court of Appeal, Second Circuit: State of Louisiana

Footnotes

Louisiana courts

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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