Judge Kathy Johnson has retired after nearly 30 years on the bench. Johnson, the first woman to serve the 7th District in Concordia and Catahoula parishes, had served since March 1996. Patricia Koch, a recently retired judge from Rapides Parish, has been named her successor and will preside over Division A cases in Catahoula Parish until the next election in November. It is not yet known whether Koch will also take on the Concordia Parish caseload.
The U.S. Supreme Court has heard oral arguments in lawsuits filed by several coastal parishes against oil and gas companies. The suits claim that drilling and exploration activity contributed to coastal erosion. Chevron argued the cases should be moved to federal court, citing aviation gasoline refining contracts from World War II. The state countered that the contracts are irrelevant because the activity in question involved commercial oil and gas development. Loyola University law professor Dane Cialinos noted that federal court is generally seen as a more conservative and defendant-friendly venue. Last year, a Plaquemines Parish jury awarded the parish nearly $745 million in a case against Chevron, and additional cases remain pending.
Federal authorities have charged a man with setting fire to the only synagogue in Jackson. According to an FBI affidavit, the suspect, identified as Steven Spencer Pittman, set the fire because of the building’s Jewish ties. The fire occurred around 3 a.m. Saturday at the historic Beth Israel Congregation Temple, which sustained extensive damage and is now inoperable indefinitely. The affidavit states that Pittman allegedly laughed about the attack and made derogatory remarks to his father following the incident. The same synagogue was previously bombed by the Ku Klux Klan in 1967.
With Louisiana’s closed primaries approaching, voters are encouraged to review their voter registration cards. The closed primaries apply to elections for U.S. House, U.S. Senate, State Supreme Court, Public Service Commission, and BESE. Republicans may vote only for Republican candidates, and Democrats only for Democratic candidates. Voters with no party affiliation may vote in either primary, but cannot vote in the opposite party’s runoff if they select a party’s primary ballot. PAR president Stephen Procopio noted that 27 percent of Louisiana voters are unaffiliated, giving them significant influence in the primaries.
As of the latest report, the Mississippi River at Natchez-Vidalia is at 15.45 feet and falling.
