Voters in East Baton Rouge have elected a fresh cohort of Justices of the Peace, and, for the first time, their jurisdiction is parish-wide.
Of the six elected positions, four were decided Tuesday in the Nov. 3 midterm elections: Mark Miley of District 3 was the only justice of the peace elected outright. The other races — Districts 4, 5 & 6 — are all heading to runoffs.
Two of those runoffs feature familiar faces in Baton Rouge politics, with state representative C. Denise Marcelle facing Taneshia Flowers in District 4, and St. George councilman Andrew Murrell facing Franchesca Rich Brandon in District 5. The District 6 race could open a seat on the East Baton Rouge Metro Council, as Councilwoman Jen Racca faces Toni Higginbotham, a retired state appeals court judge.
Flowers was also elected as the justice of the peace for District 3’s Ward 2 in a special election. Because of redistricting under Act 950 of the 2026 Regular Legislative Session, the old Justice of the Peace Ward 2, District 3 shares many precincts with the new District 4. Candidates ran under the old map to fill an unexpired term, and Flowers will serve only through December.
Previously, justices of the peace had blackout zones where they had no jurisdiction; in that case, residents had to go to city court, a similar but more expensive court.
City courts and the 19th Judicial District Court still have concurrent jurisdiction over small claims cases, meaning an issue could be filed in any of the three courts. Justices of the peace, however, do not preside over criminal cases. If a justice takes a class from the Attorney General, they can issue criminal warrants.
Justices of the peace head the municipal small claims courts — which include any lawsuit under $5,000. Most commonly, they deal with evictions. They tend to have smaller caseloads and court fees than city or district courts.
They can’t cover claims involving title to immovable property, like a house, nor can they cover lawsuits against a municipality or property. They’re most well known for issuing marriage licenses. However, they can’t preside over divorce proceedings.
They tend to have smaller caseloads and court fees than city or district courts. Usually, a new case can be filed for $130, but in Baton Rouge, judges may charge a $30 fee instead of, or in addition to, that fee. That lower fee makes it competitive with areas in the parish that also have a city court, where filing a small claims case costs $86.50.
These are typically the preferred court for landlords, as they can usually get their apartment back on the market faster and cheaper.
Justices make most of their money by getting a cut of the fees generated by the court. They receive a meager base salary from the state of $30 dollars a month, or $75 if they take on extra duties.
Statewide, justices do not make much in salary, with most reporting they used none of their fees to pay a salary. In Baton Rouge, justices have at minimum $10,000 in salary costs, though they can hire a clerk, meaning not all the money spent on salaries goes to the justice.
