Durio joins a field that already includes two other Republicans, District Judge Phyllis Keaty and attorney Jeanne Laborde, and independent City Court Judge Francie Bouillion. The candidates are vying to fill a vacancy on the court created by the death of Judge Mike Sullivan late last year. The special election is October 2, with a runoff, if necessary, in November. Qualifying will be held in July.
In the campaign announcement posted on his Web site, Durio says he consulted with many colleagues, friends and family before reaching the decision to run for office. "Legal reading and writing, and legal analysis and debate, are some of my best skills and most enjoyable experiences," he says. "Many say I am even better suited to this judicial position than to the long and rewarding career I’ve already had as a lawyer in private practice." He also references his opponents, noting, "a judicial election is not purely political. It may be easier to vote for a lawyer who is already a sitting judge, but justice is too important to vote with only that in mind. Even friendships and old acquaintance must be measured against experience and qualification, especially in a small district like this one, where all the candidates are friends, and especially for a judicial election ... we need an honest and courageous evaluation, and a vote for the lawyer most qualified – by length of practice, breadth of experience, professional achievement, and a temperament matured by adversity among equals – to do the very best job."
The Court of Appeal is the intermediate appellate court in Louisiana's three-tiered court system. It does not hear witnesses and does not accept new evidence. The largest of five intermediate appellate courts in Louisiana, its territory consists of 21 parishes in southwest and central Louisiana. There are 12 judges, including a chief judge, sitting on the Third Circuit. They are each elected from a voting district in the court's territory.
MAY 22 This post was written the day after the second line shooting in NOLA, by Brentin Mock. Mock is a friend of Deb "Big Red" Cotton, a blogger who was shot in the back and was seriously injured. It is a raw, emotional piece of writing, something the writer obviously felt he needed to get off his chest. But it raises questions that can't be easily dismissed, and might give some insight into where the source of these events truly is.
MAY 22 In this Baton Rouge Business Report post, Rolfe McCollister considers the privatization of bus service in Baton Rouge. After decades of under-funding, it is a mess, and although a tax (partially) passed last year, improvement hasn't happened yet. McCollister apparently feels it is time to let private business get in on the transit business.
MAY 22 This post on Bayou Buzz by Jeff Crouere urges the defeat of a bill that would grant modest pay increases over the next several years to the state's judges and clerks of court. The state is in no position to fund pay hikes, Crouere argues, with the pay increases costing a total of $9 million over several years. It sends the wrong message to the (proverbial) hard-working people of Louisiana, he says.
MAY 22 The Advocate reports here that State Treasurer John Kennedy is complaining about a meeting of the corporation that oversees the state's tobacco settlement. The Governor wanted it restructured, and he has some support, but not a lot. The corporation agreed with his plan, but Kennedy didn't, and it appears that the meeting was noticed in a manner completely different than that of all previous meetings. Kennedy's given to hyperbole, but in this case the fish don't smell too fresh.
MAY 22 In this Advocate story, Carencro Police Chief Carlos Stout says the recent federal indictment of a strip club owner is all wrong. The indictment alleges that drugs and prostitution went on with impunity because club staff made arrangements with "local" police. Stout says it never happened, and while his cops do work security in the parking lot, they're not allowed inside.
MAY 22 This amusing post in DIG Baton Rouge recounts an ad that ran on Craig's List recently; the advertiser was seeking tenants for a Beauregard Town house. He knew his market, and wrote an ad that the most ironical hipster couldn't resist. Apparently, he really did know his market, because the ad worked like a charm.
MAY 22 In this post in The Lens, Mark Moseley comments on the rhetoric Gov. Jindal employed in trying to save his tax "reform" package. One interesting point concerns Jindal's use of his brother, Nikesh, in a little story. Nikesh left Louisiana because of his inability to get a decent job, the story goes, but the story won't hold water: Nikesh lives in DC, which has an income tax level comparable to Louisiana, Moseley says. If income taxes caused the dismal situation, it should exist in DC too. Right?
MAY 22 This post by columnist John Maginnis traces the trajectory of the bill that would fund construction at community and technical colleges -- and bypass the Board of Regents and traditional higher ed funding mechanisms. Sure, it will bust the legislature's self-imposed debt limit, but some leges feel that there's more need (because there is more growth) in the community and technical college area than in the university area, he says.
Most Read
in case you missed it
Subscribe to this comment's feed