A special primary election for two of the 53 seats on the Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal is scheduled for March 20, 2021. The filing deadline passed on January 22. Elections to the court are partisan, and a full term is 10 years. If needed, a general election is scheduled for April 24, 2021.
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50% of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Three candidates filed to run in the Second Circuit Court of Appeal District 1 race. Democrats Marcus Hunter, Larry D. Jefferson, and J. Garland Smith qualified for the special primary.
In the Second Circuit Court of Appeal District 2 race, Republican Jeff Robinson was the only candidate to file. Because the number of candidates was equal to the number of seats up for election, both the primary and the general elections were canceled. Robinson was declared elected without his name appearing on the ballot.
Additional reading:
- Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal
- Louisiana majority-vote system
- Courts in Louisiana
- Judicial selection in Louisiana
