The Louisiana House voted Thursday to send a proposed constitutional amendment to the public that would raise the maximum age at which a person may qualify for election as a judge from 70 to 75.

Representative Barbara Hughes, who carried the measure on the floor, offered an amendment that reworked the bill into a clean proposal raising the age limit. “This amendment set does, it guts the bill completely. And it makes the bill a clean bill. Retirement age for judges is 70 years,” Hughes said on the House floor while explaining the change in posture.

Supporters said modestly raising the age would reflect longer, healthier working lives and let voters decide whether to keep experienced judges on the bench. Representative Brett Marcel said he backed the change because current law singles judges out for an age limit that other elected offices do not have: “I rise in support of this bill because I believe that 70 having that on the judges is discriminatory.”

Opponents warned that raising the age would let some judges serve substantially longer than the current cap, given multi‑year judicial terms, and could make it harder for challengers to replace incumbents. Representative Robbie Carter argued for keeping the age at 70, saying, “70 is time to take it in.”

After debate the House adopted the amendment and then approved the measure to go before voters; the clerk recorded 81 yays and 16 nays on final passage. The amendment, if approved by the electorate, would alter the state constitution’s limits on judicial candidacy; supporters emphasized that the final decision rests with voters.

What happens next

Because the change would alter the state constitution, the proposal will go on a statewide ballot if the legislature and Secretary of State complete the statutory steps for constitutional amendments. The House passage moves the measure into the next stage of the legislative process and toward potential voter consideration.

Why it matters

Raising the age would affect who can qualify as a candidate for judicial office and how long sitting judges may serve if re‑elected. Because many judges serve multi‑year terms, opponents said a higher qualifying age effectively extends the possible service window for sitting judges. Supporters framed the change as restoring voters’ ability to decide whether older judges should remain in office.

Who spoke on the record

Representative Barbara Hughes (author of the amendment) — government
Representative Brett Marcel — government
Representative Robbie Carter — government
Representative Gloria Glorioso — government
Representative Bryant — government

Authorities cited

{"type":"other","name":"State Constitution (proposed amendment)","referenced_by":["judicial-retirement-amendment-2025-05-27-la"]}

Actions

{"kind":"other","motion":"Adopt amendment to set judicial candidate qualifying age at 75 and send constitutional amendment to voters","mover":"Representative Hughes","second":null,"vote_record":[],"tally":{"yes":81,"no":16,"abstain":0},"legal_threshold":{"met":true,"notes":"Constitutional amendment measure passed House for placement before voters; further steps required for ballot."},"outcome":"approved","notes":"Measure now proceeds toward required steps for statewide voter consideration."}

Discussion vs. decision

Discussion: Lawmakers debated whether judges should be subject to an age cap, whether the change would extend time on the bench for individual judges and whether voters or the legislature should set such limits.
Direction: Members repeatedly said the final decision belongs to voters; supporters framed the bill as returning the question to the electorate.
Decision: House voted to transmit the proposed constitutional amendment to the next step; the clerk recorded final passage 81–16.

Clarifying details

{"category":"term lengths","detail":"Most district court judges in Louisiana serve six-year terms; appellate and supreme court judges serve longer terms (10 years). Raising qualifying age from 70 to 75 therefore can increase maximum possible serving age depending on when a judge is elected.","value":"see body","units":"years","approximate":false}

Proper names

[{"name":"House of Representatives","type":"other"},{"name":"Louisiana","type":"location"},{"name":"State Constitution","type":"other"}]

Provenance

[{"block_id":"3972.8298","local_start":0,"local_end":128,"evidence_excerpt":"Representative Hughes offers up amendments at 34 72... This amendment set does, it guts the bill completely. And it makes the bill a clean bill. Retirement age for judges is 70 years.","reason_code":"topicintro"},{"block_id":"5448.955","local_start":0,"local_end":64,"evidence_excerpt":"We have 81 yays. 16 nays and the bill finally passes.","reason_code":"topicfinish"}]

searchable_tags:["judiciary","constitutional_amendment","judicial_retirement","elections","state_policy"]