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)
Filters
The Writ of Mandamus in State Courts
The centuries-old remedy is increasingly used to force hotly contested political issues before state courts.
Kansas Online Court System Faces Long Recovery Time After Cyberattack
The outage underscores the hurdles the public faces accessing court information across the country.
Voters Amend State Constitutions Around the Country
Ohio enshrined a right to abortion in the state constitution.
Louisiana Supreme Court Makes It Harder to Reduce Unjust Sentences
Citing the governor’s exclusive pardon power, the court struck down a law providing a new path for post-conviction relief.
Constitutional Amendment Processes in the 50 States
States offer multiple paths for amending their constitutions, which are much easier to change than the federal Constitution.
Georgia Breaks with Federal Courts on Economic Liberty
The high court struck down an occupational licensing law under the state Due Process Clause.
Giving Meaning to Georgia’s ‘Social Status’ Clause
A recent case considered a unique and underappreciated state constitutional provision.
NC Supreme Court Upholds Law Barring People on Probation and Parole from Voting
While state courts have been skeptical of judicial remedies, momentum for legislative responses is growing.