The Louisiana Supreme Court is in the news this week with New Orleans Mitch Landrieu supporting Bernette Johnson for Chief Justice and with elections underway to fill a vacant seat.
Here’s the latest from LouisianaLawBuzz
Mayor Mitch Landrieu endorses Bernette Johnson for Louisiana …
Mayor Mitch Landrieu weighed in Friday on the issue of who should be the next chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, and to no one’s surprise, he endorsed Bernette Johnson of New Orleans.
“The state Constitution is clear that ‘the judge oldest in point of service on the Supreme Court shall be chief justice.’ That judge is Justice Bernette Johnson,” Landrieu said. “We must follow the Constitution and elevate this eminently qualified, distinguished, and senior justice to be chief justice of our state’s highest court.”
Justice Jeffrey Victory of Shreveport also is claiming the right to succeed Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball, who retires early next year.
The dispute hinges on whether Johnson’s
3 federal judges recuse themselves from Louisiana Supreme Court …
Three federal judges in New Orleans recused themselves Friday from presiding over Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson’s lawsuit seeking to block her colleagues from debating and voting on whether she is legally entitled to be the court’s next chief justice. The case was transferred to U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan after three other judges — Jay Zainey, Ivan Lemelle and Carl Barbier — disqualified themselves. It wasn’t immediately clear if Morgan would keep the case or recuse herself, too.
Louisiana Supreme Court justices Bernette Johnson of New Orleans, left, and Jeffrey Victory of Shreveport.Barbier said his daughter is a law clerk for Johnson. Zainey cited the law firm representing Johnson as the reason for his recusal, but he didn’t elaborate. Lemelle didn’t specify a reason but cited a law that says a judge must recuse himself from a case if his “impartiality might reasonably be questioned.”
Johnson and
State Supreme Court Candidates To Debate Obamacare Decision …
Four Republican candidates for the Louisiana Supreme Court will debate the U. S. Supreme Court’s decision upholding Obamacare.The first face-to-face meeting of the four candidates will occur this Tuesday, July 10 at the monthly Ronald Reagan Newsmaker Luncheon at Café Americain, 7521 Jefferson Hwy. in Baton RougeThe monthly luncheons are sponsored by the Republican Party of East Baton Rouge Parish on the second Tuesday of each month.Parish Republican chairman Woody Jenkins said it will be a good opportunity for Republicans and the news media to learn more about how the candidates approach important legal issues. Jenkins said, “Too often, the election of judges revolves around issues of personality, rather than the judicial philosophy of the judge. On the state supreme court, it is especially important that we have judges who understand and respect the U. S. and