Four candidates for Shreveport city judge have posted yard signs throughout the city: Amy Brainard, Trinicia Leonard, Kharmen Davis-Taylor, and Sheva Sims.
Shreveport City Court has four judgeships with two elected from a majority-white district and two from a majority-black district.
Chief Judge Emily S. Merckle was elected from a white-majority district and Judge Brittany Bass Arvie was elected from a black-majority district. Merckle will be on the November ballot for District A and Arvie for District C.
Brian Barber resigned his District B judgeship to accept the appointment of U.S. Marshall for the Western District of Louisiana.
Amy Brainard is running for this white majority seat on the Shreveport bench which is District B. Currently Sarah Giglio is judge pro temp for District B and she cannot run for this seat in November.
The fourth seat on the Shreveport City bench will be elected from a black majority district- District D.
Sheva Sims has held this seat since November 2011, and she has been suspended twice from this position by the Louisiana Supreme Court. Her current suspension ends in December which allows her to run for re-election.
Currently Lori C. Graham is judge pro tem for District D and she cannot seek election for this seat in November.
Sims has two opponents—Trinicia Leonard and Kharmen Davis-Taylor. Thus, there are three announced candidates for District D, a black majority district seat.
Shreveport voters can only vote for candidates in their respective city court judicial districts.
John came to Shreveport in January of 1977 when he was transferred to Barksdale AFB.
He’s been active in Shreveport politics since deciding to make Shreveport his home.
John practiced law for 40 years and he now monitors local politics. He regularly attends Shreveport City Council and Caddo Parish Commission meetings.
John is published weekly in The Inquisitor, bi-monthly in The Forum News, and frequently in the Shreveport Times.
He enjoys addressing civic groups on local government issues and elections.