EBRPPRC Judicial Candidate Forum 10 20 26

All elections matter but courts impact every single part of our lives. Tonight's forum will highlight candidates running for the EBRP Family Court and the 19th JDC on the November 3rd ballot in East Baton Rouge Parish. Here are some important dates for everyone to remember. Early voting is October 20th - October 27th (excluding Sunday) from 8:30am.- 6pm. On election day November 3rd, 2026, the polls are open from 7am.- 8pm. This judicial candidate forum will feature 2 different courts, EBRP Family Court and 19th JDC. While both offices exist in the same building, the roles and challenges could not be more unique. The Family Court has jurisdiction over certain matters, including divorces, community property division, spousal support, child visitation, child custody, child support, and domestic violence. Four judges preside over the Family Court. EBRP Family Court has 2 openings Division A & C. The 19th Judicial District Court is one of Louisiana’s 42 judicial districts and has original jurisdiction of all civil and criminal matters in East Baton Rouge Parish. In addition all state agency cases must be heard in the 19th JDC. There are currently 3 vacancies on the 19th JDC court. Division B is an At-Large Civil seat and Division L & M are Criminal seats. It is important for voters to remember that the local district court judge is the elected official with the power to separate a resident from their children or property, to imprison them and even to order their execution. The reorganization of the 19th Judicial District Court (JDC) in East Baton Rouge Parish encompasses major structural overhauls spanning a complete legislative redrawing of its electoral maps, ongoing federal voting rights litigation, operational procedural changes, and significant docket reassignments. Races for district judgeships in East Baton Rouge Parish will be unusual, with many sitting judges aging off their benches, new sub-districts created and the first seat to be elected by the entire parish in more than 30 years. One final change coming to the district court this election is that each division will be specifically assigned to either criminal or civil proceedings, instead of the longstanding setup where judges handle both a criminal and a civil docket. The Louisiana Supreme Court directed the change in a June 17 order, saying the earlier system of mixed jurisdictions was “not consistent, transparent, or predictable.”