From the drama playing out in federal court, political circles and press coverage, one might assume that the legal dispute between Justices Bernette Johnson and Jeff Victory over who will be the next chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court would have a profound effect on its future balance and direction. Not hardly. Who is the next chief justice means a lot to the Supreme Court’s longtime employees, for the chief, as its administrator, historically runs its business, including hiring and promoting, signing contracts and dealing with the other two branches of government. But as for what really matters, how laws are interpreted, the court will be influenced not so much by who assumes retiring Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball’s title as by who takes over her vote, starting when qualifying opens Wednesday to fill her unexpired term. The contenders for chief justice—Johnson, a New Orleans Democrat, and Victory, a Shreveport Republican—represent the philosophical poles of the court. But they have done so already for the 17 years they have served together and will continue doing so after one of them holds the gavel. Read the full column here.
(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)
Editor’s note: This story has been changed since its original publication.
