Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Louisiana Court In Racially Charged Power Struggle, Again : NPR

Louisiana Court In Racially Charged Power Struggle, Again : NPR: A power struggle on the Louisiana Supreme Court is headed to federal court this week. Lawyers are seeking to reopen an old voting rights case that gave the Deep South state its first black Supreme Court justice. What's at stake in the racially charged fight is whether Louisiana will now have its first African-American chief justice.

Justice Bernette Johnson joined the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1994, elected to a special seat created to remedy racial disparities in Louisiana's justice system. Now, she's the lone black Supreme Court justice in a state where nearly one-third of residents are black.

Johnson thought she was next in line on the seven-member panel to be chief justice, based on seniority. But some of her colleagues say that's not the case.