Louisiana Supreme Court Decisions
The unique origins of the Louisiana Supreme Court date back to the French and Spanish heritage of the state. Seven justices serve on the Court, which holds discretionary jurisdiction over all cases other than those involving the death penalty. This means that the Court can choose whether to review a case. The justice with the greatest seniority on the Court serves as the Chief Justice, who is viewed as the chief administrative officer of the judicial system in Louisiana. In 2008, a Tulane University study questioned the impartiality of the justices, arguing that they favored parties and attorneys who had made contributions to them. However, Chief Justice Pascal Calogero pointed out errors in the data and methodology of the study, which undermined its conclusions.
Each justice serves a 10-year term. Louisiana is divided into seven districts for the purposes of these elections, and each district elects a justice. These elections are partisan, which means that the party affiliation of the justice appears on the ballot. To run for election to the Louisiana Supreme Court, a candidate needs to be domiciled in the district, circuit, or parish in which they are running for election for at least one year before the election. They also must be younger than 70 and must have been admitted to practice law in Louisiana for at least 10 years.
A justice may be removed from the Louisiana Supreme Court if they are impeached by the Louisiana House of Representatives in a majority vote and convicted by the Louisiana Senate in a two-thirds vote. Alternatively, a justice may be removed from the Court if the judiciary commission in the state recommends removal. If a current justice on the Court chooses to pursue an office outside the judicial branch, they must resign from serving on the Court. They cannot receive contributions to a non-judicial campaign while serving on the Court.
- 2024 (28)
- 2023 (50)
- 2022 (49)
- 2021 (52)
- 2020 (47)
- 2019 (46)
- 2018 (44)
- 2017 (67)
- 2016 (59)
- 2015 (61)
- 2014 (69)
- 2013 (71)
- 2012 (87)
- 2011 (87)
- 2010 (82)
- 2009 (87)
- 2008 (75)
- 2007 (84)
- 2006 (110)
- 2005 (70)
- 2004 (107)
- 2003 (146)
- 2002 (143)
- 2001 (146)
- 2000 (113)
- 1999 (144)
- 1998 (122)
- 1997 (90)
- 1996 (114)
- 1995 (461)
- 1994 (533)
- 1993 (502)
- 1992 (437)
- 1991 (400)
- 1990 (432)
- 1989 (432)
- 1988 (415)
- 1987 (414)
- 1986 (446)
- 1985 (442)
- 1984 (532)
- 1983 (562)
- 1982 (619)
- 1981 (552)
- 1980 (527)
- 1979 (480)
- 1978 (509)
- 1977 (463)
- 1976 (499)
- 1975 (492)
- 1974 (425)
- 1973 (352)
- 1972 (177)
- 1971 (131)
- 1970 (97)
- 1969 (93)
- 1968 (75)
- 1967 (69)
- 1966 (57)
- 1965 (71)
- 1964 (78)
- 1963 (66)
- 1962 (58)
- 1961 (68)
- 1960 (95)
- 1959 (114)
- 1958 (104)
- 1957 (117)
- 1956 (114)
- 1955 (110)
- 1954 (123)
- 1953 (117)
- 1952 (101)
- 1951 (95)
- 1950 (105)
- 1885 (1)
Recent Decisions From the Louisiana Supreme Court
Date: September 6, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-C-01447
Justia Opinion Summary: Bonny Babin Maloney passed away in May 2020, leaving behind a will that included a no-contest clause. Her husband, Robert Maloney, Sr., had predeceased her in June 2019, and his will also contained a no-contest clause.…
Date: September 6, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-CC-01291
Justia Opinion Summary: Advanced Benefit Concepts, Inc. (ABC) filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Access Health, Inc., Preferred Care Services, Inc., and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama (collectively, Access Health). ABC alleged…
Date: August 20, 2024
Docket Number: 2024-C-01005
Justia Opinion Summary: In July 2024, Judge Marcus L. Hunter filed a notice of candidacy for the office of Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, certifying that he had filed his federal and state income tax returns for the previous…
Date: June 28, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-C-00788
Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves a vehicular collision that occurred in a construction zone on Interstate 10 in LaPlace, Louisiana. The plaintiff, Frank Cushenberry, was driving a commercial vehicle when he collided with a truck owned…
Date: June 28, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-C-01396
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves a series of public records requests made by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) to Louisiana State University (LSU) seeking records related to the use and treatment of wild songbirds in…
Date: June 28, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-CQ-01242
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves James and Wilma Self, who filed a lawsuit as representatives of a class of plaintiffs who own unleased mineral interests in Louisiana within compulsory drilling units operated by BPX Operating Company.…
Date: June 28, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-CQ-01596
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves Angela Pickard and others who sued Amazon.com, Inc. after a battery charger purchased from Amazon's online marketplace malfunctioned, causing a fire that resulted in the death of Archie Pickard. The…
Date: June 28, 2024
Docket Number: 2024-C-00055
Justia Opinion Summary: A group of residents and a church, collectively referred to as the "Neighbors," sued Ghassan Korban, the Executive Director of the Sewerage and Water Board of New Orleans (SWB), for damages caused to their properties…
Date: June 12, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-CC-01194
Justia Opinion Summary: The case involves two sets of plaintiffs, Douglas Bienvenu et al. and John Doe et al., who filed lawsuits against two defendants for alleged sexual abuse of minors. The plaintiffs argued that the revival provisions of…
Date: May 31, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-CC-01250
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a dispute between Carmen Nicholas and Terry L. Bonnie, an attorney who negligently prepared the will of Carmen's mother. The will, which was not notarized and lacked an attestation clause, was…
Date: May 10, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-C-01107
Justia Opinion Summary: This case involves a three-car consecutive rear-end collision. The plaintiffs, Scott Eastman and his wife, filed a lawsuit against Jillian Peterson and her insurer, State Farm Mutual Automobile Insurance Company,…
Date: May 10, 2024
Docket Number: 2023-CC-00955
Justia Opinion Summary: The case revolves around a wrongful death suit filed by Catherine Evans, the mother of Tommy Wiley's children, against Abubaker, Inc., the owner of a convenience store where Wiley was shot and killed. The incident…
Some case metadata and case summaries were written with the help of AI, which can produce inaccuracies. You should read the full case before relying on it for legal research purposes.
This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
