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.
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.