Judge rules Louisiana Supreme Court candidates can stay in race after being challenged
BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – A district judge ruled this week that the candidates running for a State Supreme Court seat can stay in the race after their candidacy was challenged.
Leslie Chambers and Marcus Hunter are two of three candidates running for Associate Justice Supreme Court, 2nd Supreme Court District. The seat is part of a new map approved in the 2024 Special Legislative Session to create a second majority-Black district.
District 2 is composed of Avoyelles, Concordia, part of East Baton Rouge, East Carroll, East Feliciana, Iberville, part of Lafayette, Madison, part of Ouachita, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, St. Landry, Tensas, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes.
According to court documents, Chambers faced challenges for allegedly failing to file state income taxes and not residing in the district she is running for, while Hunter was similarly challenged for allegedly not filing state income taxes.
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To qualify for the Louisiana Supreme Court, candidates must have resided in the district they are seeking to represent for at least one year before the election.
State law also requires income taxes to be filed for the last five years to run for office.
Chambers was accused of not being a resident in the District 2 area and living in Ascension Parish for many years. According to court documents, she listed a Prarieiville address in her Notice of Candidacy. Court documents show she also maintains a homestead exemption.
She was accused of not filing her state income taxes for 2022, according to court documents.
Court documents show Hunter was accused of not filing his state income taxes for 2021, 2022 and 2023.
The plaintiff, a resident of the district, asked that Chambers and Hunter not appear on the ballot in November.
Judge Donald Johnson at the 19th Judicial District Court ruled both Chambers and Hunter were not disqualified and could stay in the race, court records show.
The plaintiff’s attorney filed an appeal on Wednesday.
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