Louisiana 2023 2023 Regular Session

Louisiana Senate Bill SB168 Comm Sub / Analysis

                    The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part of the
legislative instrument, were prepared by Matt DeVille.
DIGEST
SB 168 Original	2023 Regular Session	Fields
Present law divides the state into five court of appeal circuits and divides each circuit into three
districts. Provides that the Court of Appeal for the First Circuit is comprised of Ascension,
Assumption, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Lafourche, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St.
Helena, St. Mary, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, Terrebonne, Washington, West Baton Rouge, and
West Feliciana parishes.
Present law provides that the second district of the Court of Appeal for the First Circuit is comprised
of East Baton Rouge Parish.
Present law provides that the second district will be divided into two subdistricts pursuant to the
Consent Judgment in the United States District Court, Middle District of Louisiana, case of Janice
Clark, et al. v. Charles "Buddy" Roemer, Governor of Louisiana, et al., Civil Action No. 86-435(A).
Subdistrict one shall elect judges for Divisions A, B, and C. Subdistrict two shall elect a judge for
Division D.
Proposed law divides the second district into two election sections. Further provides that two judges
for Divisions A and B will be elected from election section one, and two judges for Divisions C and
D will be elected from election section two.
Proposed law provides that each judge of the second district in office on the effective date of this Act
will be the judge for the election section, subdistrict having the same designation as the election
section, subdistrict from which the justice was elected and may complete the term for which he was
elected. Further provides that the successor to the office of a judge of the second district will be
elected from the election section assigned to that office as provided by proposed law. 
Proposed law provides the election to fill the judgeship currently designated as Division C will be
held at the congressional election to be held in 2024. 
Proposed law specifies that precincts referenced in district descriptions are those precincts identified
as Voting Districts (VTDs) in the 2020 Census Redistricting TIGER/Line Shapefiles for the state
of La. as validated through the data verification program of the La. legislature. Also specifies that
if any such precinct has been subdivided by action of the parish governing authority on a
nongeographic basis or subdivided by action of the parish governing authority on a geographic basis
in accordance with present law, the enumeration of the general precinct designation shall include all
nongeographic and all geographic subdivisions thereof. Further provides that the territorial limits of
the districts as enacted shall continue in effect without change regardless of any subsequent change
made to the precincts by the parish governing authority. Population data in the summaries accompanying this digest are derived from 2020 Census
Redistricting Data (Public Law 94-171), Summary File for Louisiana. Population data, statistical
information, and maps are supplied for purposes of information and analysis and comprise no part
of proposed law.
Effective upon signature of the governor or lapse of time for gubernatorial action.
(Amends R.S. 13:312(1)(b) and 312.1(A))