Democratic voters shut out of picking Louisiana's new Supreme Court justice

When thousands of voters cast their ballots next month to decide who will join the Louisiana Supreme Court next, none will be registered Democrats.

Louisiana’s new semi-closed primary election system, pushed by Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, has shut Democrats out of picking the state’s newest justice entirely.

The only two candidates who filed to run for the open District 1 seat, Judges Billy Burris and Blair Downing Edwards, are Republicans. That one-party field means the election will be decided by the May 16 GOP primary, in which only Republicans and voters who aren’t registered with a political party can participate.

District 1 is overwhelmingly conservative. It includes St. Tammany, Washington, Tangipahoa, Livingston and St. Bernard parishes with a small portion of New Orleans.


https://lailluminator.com/2026/04/23/democratic-voters-shut-out-of-picking-louisianas-new-supreme-court-justice/