House Bill No. 1097, introduced by Representative Marcelle, seeks to amend the structure of the Nineteenth Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish by changing the number of election sections from two to three. The bill stipulates that each of the three election sections will elect five judges, resulting in a total of fifteen judges for the court. The specific divisions assigned to each election section have also been revised, with Election Section 1 now including Divisions B, D, J, K, and O; Election Section 2 comprising Divisions A, G, L, M, and N; and Election Section 3 consisting of Divisions C, E, F, H, and I.

Additionally, the bill outlines the precincts that will be used for these elections, referencing the "2026 Precinct Shapefiles" based on the 2020 Census data. It clarifies that any subdivisions of precincts made by the parish governing authority will still be included under the general precinct designation. The changes proposed in this bill are set to take effect upon the governor's signature or after the designated period for bills to become law without signature.

Statutes affected:
HB1097 Original: 13:477(19)