Allison H. Penzato
Allison H. Penzato (Republican Party) is an acting judge for the 1st District of the Louisiana Supreme Court. She assumed office on December 22, 2025.
Penzato (Republican Party) is also a judge of the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District. She assumed office in 2017. Her current term ends on December 31, 2034.
Penzato (Republican Party) won re-election for judge of the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District outright in the primary on November 5, 2024, after the primary and general election were canceled.
Penzato was formerly the Division H judge of the 22nd Judicial District in Louisiana. She was elected to this position on October 4, 2008.[1] She was re-elected in 2014 for a term beginning on January 1, 2015, that would have expired on December 31, 2020.[2][3]
Penzato's appointment to the 1st District of the Louisiana Supreme Court fills a vacancy created by William J. Crain after he was elevated to United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in December 2025. Penzato will serve the state supreme court in a temporary capacity until June 30, 2026 or until the position is filled permanently. To learn more about this vacancy, click here.[4]
Biography
Allison H. Penzato received her B.A. in government from Southeastern Louisiana University in 1977 and her J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law in 1981.[5] Penzato began her career in 1979 as a law clerk to U.S. Magistrate Ingard Johannessen. She left that position in 1981, the same year she was admitted to the Louisiana State Bar. She worked as a partner of the law firm of Talley, Anthony, Hughes & Knight, L.L.C. In 2008, she was elected to the district court.[5]
Elections
2024
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.
Nonpartisan primary election
The primary election was canceled. Allison H. Penzato (R) won the election without appearing on the ballot.
Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Penzato in this election.
2017
- Main article: Louisiana judicial elections, 2017
Penzato was the only candidate to file for the election for Ernest Drake's vacated seat. She was thus elected unopposed.
2014
See also: Louisiana judicial elections, 2014
Penzato ran for re-election to the 22nd Judicial District.
As an unopposed candidate, she was automatically re-elected without appearing on the ballot.
[3]
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Allison H. Penzato did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
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
See also
2024 Elections
External links
|
Officeholder Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal 3rd District |
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Elected Officials," accessed December 9, 2014 (Scroll down to "District Judge…")
- ↑ Judgepedia.org, “Judicial selection in Louisiana,” accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Louisiana Secretary of State, "November 4, 2014 General Election Candidates," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Supreme Court", accessed January 6, 2026
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Louisiana Judiciary, "Allison H. Penzato," accessed April 10, 2025
- ↑ 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
| ||||||||||
