SLS 22RS-577 ORIGINAL
2022 Regular Session
SENATE BILL NO. 288
BY SENATOR HEWITT
COURTS. Constitutional Amendment to increase the composition of the Louisiana Supreme
Court from six to eight associate justices. (2/3 - CA13s1(A))
1 A JOINT RESOLUTION
2 Proposing to amend Article V, Sections 3 and 4 of the Constitution of Louisiana, relative to
3 the composition of the Louisiana Supreme Court; to provide for two additional
4 associate supreme court justices; to provide for the method of transition; and to
5 specify an election for submission of the proposition to electors and provide a ballot
6 proposition.
7 Section 1. Be it resolved by the Legislature of Louisiana, two-thirds of the members
8 elected to each house concurring, that there shall be submitted to the electors of the state, for
9 their approval or rejection in the manner provided by law, a proposal to amend Article V,
10 Sections 3 and 4 of the Constitution of Louisiana, to read as follows:
11 §3. Supreme Court; Composition; Judgments; Terms
12 Section 3. (A) Effective until January 1, 2024, The the supreme court shall
13 be composed of a chief justice and six associate justices, four of whom must concur
14 to render judgment. The term of a supreme court judge shall be ten years.
15 (B) Effective on January 1, 2024, the supreme court shall be composed
16 of a chief justice and eight associate justices, five of whom must concur to
17 render judgment. The term of a supreme court justice shall be ten years.
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 288
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1 §4. Supreme Court; Districts
2 Section 4. (A) The state shall be divided into at least six supreme court
3 districts, and at least one judge justice shall be elected from each. The districts and
4 the number of judges assigned to each on the effective date of this constitution are
5 retained, subject to change by law enacted by two-thirds of the elected members of
6 each house of the legislature.
7 (B) The legislature shall by law set forth the specific method of
8 transitioning to nine single-member supreme court districts to be drawn in
9 accordance with the provisions of this Section. Notwithstanding any provision
10 herein to the contrary, no supreme court justice in office at the time of the
11 adoption of the amendment to this Section, nor his or her successor, shall, as a
12 result of this amendment, have his or her term diminished or extended. Any
13 decision reached by a majority of the supreme court after the passage of this
14 constitutional amendment, but before its full implementation by the legislature,
15 shall be binding and be given full effect.
16 Section 2. Be it further resolved that this proposed amendment shall be submitted
17 to the electors of the state of Louisiana at a statewide election to be held on November 8,
18 2022.
19 Section 3. Be it further resolved that on the official ballot to be used at said election
20 there shall be printed a proposition, upon which the electors of the state shall be permitted
21 to vote YES or NO, to amend the Constitution of Louisiana, which proposition shall read as
22 follows:
23 Do you support an amendment to change the number of justices on the
24 Louisiana Supreme Court from seven to nine?
25 (Amends Article V, Sec. 3 and 4)
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Matt DeVille.
DIGEST
SB 288 Original 2022 Regular Session Hewitt
Present constitution provides that the supreme court shall be composed of a chief justice and
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions. SB NO. 288
SLS 22RS-577 ORIGINAL
six associate justices, four of whom must concur to render judgment.
Proposed constitutional amendment provides that, beginning January 1, 2024, the
composition of the Louisiana Supreme Court will increase from six associate justices to
eight, five of whom must concur to render judgment.
Present constitution provides that the state shall be divided into supreme court districts, and
at least one judge shall be elected from each district. The districts and the number of judges
assigned to each are subject to change by law if enacted by two-thirds of the elected
members of each house of the legislature.
Proposed constitutional amendment mandates the legislature to set forth the specific method
of transitioning to nine single-member districts.
Proposed constitutional amendment provides that no supreme court justice in office at the
time of the adoption of the proposed constitutional amendment, nor his or her successor,
shall, as a result of this amendment, have their term diminished or extended.
Specifies submission of the amendment to the voters at a statewide election to be held on
November 8, 2022.
(Amends Const. Arts. V, Sec. 3 and 4)
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Coding: Words which are struck through are deletions from existing law;
words in boldface type and underscored are additions.