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Committee approves redrawing of 19th JDC elections into two subdistricts plus at-large seat; opponents cite racial and logistical concerns
Summary
Lawmakers approved House Bill 124 to reconfigure elections for judges on the nineteenth Judicial District Court into two subdistricts plus an at-large seat after the committee adopted precinct adjustments to reduce population deviation.
House Bill 124, sponsored by Representative Freiberg, would reorganize the nineteenth Judicial District Court’s electoral sections, replacing three judicial subdistricts with two subdistricts plus an at-large seat. The committee adopted precinct-assignment amendments that reduced population deviations and then voted to report the bill favorably as amended.
The sponsor said updated precinct assignments reduced a population deviation that previously approached 8 percent down to about 1.5 percent between the two new subdistricts. The amendment changed precinct assignments to balance population based on the 2020 census and local voter-registration data.
Opponents, including several judges and local attorneys who provided information to the committee, said the change risks disadvantaging candidates with fewer financial resources because at-large races require larger campaign spending and broader outreach. Judge Ronald Johnson, who has run successfully in an evenly split subdistrict, warned that removing a three-district structure could eliminate a district where voters of different demographics successfully elect candidates of choice.
“Now that district in particular, given the turnout, if we're talking about race, if you got good candidates, it could flip,” Judge Tarvian Smith told the committee, describing his own experience winning cross-demographic support in an evenly split district.
Sponsor Freiberg responded that the change seeks to ensure broad representation and that the amended plan produces two nearly equal subdistricts while retaining an at-large seat intended to give the whole parish a voice.
After debate and public information from judges and local officials, Representative Freiberg moved to report House Bill 124 favorably as amended. Representative Marcel objected, and the secretary called the roll; the committee ultimately returned a favorable report and the bill will move to the House floor as amended.
