The process for naming Catherine "Kitty" Kimball's successor as chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court doesn't seem to leave any room for debate. The state constitution calls for the position to be filled by the longest-serving justice on the state's highest court.

But two of Kimball's colleagues are staking claims to that distinction, setting the stage for a potentially bitter, racially tinged power struggle that could wind up in federal court.

Justice Bernette Johnson of New Orleans has hired a lawyer to help her make the case that she deserves to fill the post and become the court's first black chief justice. Others argue Justice Jeffrey Victory of Shreveport is next in line for the job, even though he was sworn in after Johnson started serving on the seven-member court.