21st Judicial District, Louisiana
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Court
The 21st Judicial District covers the same geographical boundaries as St. Helena, Livingston, and Tangipahoa parishes in Louisiana. It is one of Louisiana's 42 judicial districts.[1] In 2014, the court added a Division J family court seat.[2]
The courthouse is located in Amite and contains both civil and criminal courts.[1]
Judges
- Division A: Jeff Johnson
- Division B: Charlotte Hughes-Foster
- Division C: Robert Morrison (Chief judge)
- Division D: Vacant
- Division E: Brenda Ricks
- Division F: Elizabeth Wolfe
- Division G: Jeffery T. Oglesbee
- Division I: Blair Downing Edwards,
- Division J: Jeff Cashe[3][4][5]
Former judges
The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Louisiana Twenty-first Judicial District Court. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.
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
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- More...
See also
External links
- Louisiana Secretary of State, "Elected Officials"
- 21st Judicial District Court
- NOLA.com, "Family court measure approved by Louisiana Senate," May 10, 2011
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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
Elections
- See also: Louisiana judicial elections
Louisiana is one of 43 states that hold elections for judicial positions. To learn more about judicial selection in Louisiana, click here.
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2025
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2024
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2023
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2022
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2021
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2020
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2019
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2018
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2017
- Louisiana local trial court judicial elections, 2016
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2015
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2014
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2013
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2012
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2011
- Louisiana judicial elections, 2010
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)
Election rules
Primary election
Judges compete in a primary election against candidates of all parties. If no candidate receives over 50 percent of the vote (a "majority vote"), the top two candidates run against each other in the general election. If a candidate does receive a majority vote in the primary, he or she is declared elected as an unopposed candidate and will not be listed on the general election ballot.[8]
In even-numbered years, Louisiana's primary elections are held in November during the general elections of other states.
For two or more open seats
In the event that candidates are competing for more than one open seat on a court, the majority vote is decided by "dividing the total votes cast for all of the candidates by the number of offices to be filled [and] dividing the result so obtained by two," according to the Secretary of State website. The SOS goes on to give the following example:
- 1,040 total votes cast ÷ 3 offices to be filled ＝ 346.6
- 346.6 ÷ 2 ＝ 173.3
In the above example, 174 votes are necessary to win for each of the 3 offices.[8]
General election
A general election is won by obtaining the highest number of votes. In the case of races with two or more open seats, the two or more candidates with the highest votes are declared the winners. If there is a tie, an additional election will be scheduled for the third Saturday after the announcement of the election results.[8]
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 21st Judicial District Attorney's Office
- ↑ The Advocate, "Six candidates seek to fill two open seats on 21st Judicial District Court," November 4, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Elected Officials," accessed March 30, 2015 (Select "By Parish" and scroll to parish name)
- ↑ 21st Judicial District, "Court Judges," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana District Judges Association, "21st Judicial District," accessed December 8, 2014
- ↑ 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
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Louisiana Secretary of State, "How are Candidates Elected?" accessed May 1, 2014
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