Louisiana
Louisiana’s highest court is the Louisiana Supreme Court. The court has six associate justices and one chief justice, who is the member of the court with the most seniority. (Source: Louisiana Constitution)
Judicial Selection
Justices run for a 10-year term on the Louisiana Supreme Court in partisan elections. When a seat opens in the middle of a term, the remaining justices appoint an interim candidate to fill the vacancy. Within a year of the vacancy, the governor calls a special election. The interim justice may not run in that election, which is a partisan contest open to multiple other candidates. The elected justice then serves the remainder of the unexpired term. The mandatory retirement age is 70.
State Constitution
Louisiana has had 11 constitutions, adopted between 1812 and 1974. As of January 1, 2024, it had 217 amendments. (Source: John Dinan, 2024)
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Case Trends: State Courts Continue to Grapple with Covid-19 Policies
Courts are still weighing the constitutionality of state responses to the pandemic more than five years after its start.
How Much Do You Know About State Constitutions and Courts?
Learn why state constitutions are so long, which high court is almost completely made up of women, and more.
Law Student Cheat Sheet: Understanding State Courts and Constitutions
As the school year kicks off, we’ve rounded up some of our top explainer essays on how state courts and state constitutions work, protect rights, and influence major U.S. legal issues. Consider it your “State Constitutions 101.”
Back-to-School Scholarship Roundup: State Courts, Constitutional Law, and Federalism
Recent books and law review articles discuss voter disenfranchisement, separation of church and state, and much more.
What Happens if the U.S. Supreme Court Guts the Voting Rights Act?
State provisions could help fill a voting rights gap, but they are a poor substitute for a strong federal standard.
A New Tool Makes Comparing State Constitutions Easier
Scholars, practitioners, and judges can quickly see how constitutional provisions differ or overlap with a resource from the nonprofit American Juris Link.
How State Courts Pushed Back on an Infamous U.S. Supreme Court Case
Dred Scott, widely considered a stain on the U.S. Supreme Court’s history, denied citizenship to Black Americans in 1857. Many state supreme courts refused to follow it.
Universal Injunctions in State Courts
Debates over whether a judge in a single county can issue a statewide injunction are brewing. States should not follow the U.S. Supreme Court’s approach.