La. law contains residency statutes for officials

Published 6:29 am Monday, February 20, 2017

There’s some elected positions such as school board representative, town councilman, mayor and police chief where the candidate must reside within a certain district or community to run for a particular office.

Is there a state law that requires the elected official to continue residing in the district or community for the duration of the term once he or she has been elected?

Yes.

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Louisiana R.S. 17:52 says that the seat of a school board member “who changes his domicile from the district he represents … shall be vacated thereby.”

Other statutes — specifically, R.S. 33:384, R.S. 33: 385 and R.S. 33: 385.1 — say that a mayor, alderman and police chief must be “an elector of the municipality.” That means they must be registered voters, a status achieved via residency.

Additionally, state law says, aldermen “elected from wards must be residents of their respective wards.”

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Online: www.legis.la.gov.

Court last leaned left during Nixon years

When was the last time the liberals were in the majority on the U.S. Supreme Court?

The high court last had a liberal majority in 1971.

After the last of President Richard Nixon’s four appointments to the court — Warren Burger, 1969; Harry Blackmun, 1970; Lewis Powell and William Rehnquist, 1971 — conservative justices were in the majority.

The justices appointed in the intervening years:

John Paul Stevens — nominated by President Gerald Ford; served Dec. 19, 1975, to June 29, 2010.

Sandra Day O’Connor — nominated by President Ronald Reagan; served Sept. 25, 1981, to Jan. 31, 2006.

Antonin Scalia — nominated by President Ronald Reagan; served Sept. 26, 1986, to Feb. 13, 2016.

Anthony M. Kennedy — nominated by President Ronald Reagan; sworn in Feb. 18, 1988.

David H. Souter — nominated by President George H.W. Bush; served Oct. 9, 1990, to June 29, 2009.

Clarence Thomas — nominated by President George H.W. Bush; sworn in Oct. 23, 1991.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg — nominated by President Bill Clinton; sworn in Aug. 10, 1993.

Stephen G. Breyer — nominated by President Bill Clinton; sworn in Aug. 3, 1994.

John G. Roberts Jr. — nominated by President George W. Bush; sworn in Sept. 29, 2005.

Samuel A. Alito Jr. — nominated by President George W. Bush; sworn in Jan. 31, 2006.

Sonia Sotomayor — nominated by President Barack Obama; sworn in Aug. 8, 2009.

Elena Kagan — nominated by President Barack Obama; sworn in Aug. 7, 2010.

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Online: www.supremecourt.gov.

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The Informer answers questions from readers each Sunday, Monday and Wednesday. It is researched and written by Andrew Perzo, an American Press staff writer. To ask a question, call 494-4098 and leave voice mail, or email informer@americanpress.com.