Justice rejected deal to name next La. court chief

Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette Johnson says her colleagues don’t have the authority to decide who is entitled to become the court’s next chief justice. Addressing a panel of state lawmakers today in New Orleans, Johnson says that she rejected a compromise that would have forced her to wait until 2017 to become chief justice. Johnson says Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball suggested to her that two other justices, Jeffrey Victory and Jeannette Knoll, should serve as chief justice and serve out their terms before Johnson took the position. Johnson has sued to block her colleagues from debating and voting on whether she or Victory qualifies as the longest-serving justice once Kimball retires next year. The debate hinges on whether Johnson’s first few years on the court count toward her seniority.