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Of the six possible Louisiana Supreme Court party primaries that could have been on the May 16 ballot, only one is being contested, but it’s a doozy. 
William “Billy” Burris and Blair Downing Edwards are both claiming the conservative Republican mantle in their bid to replace Will Crain, following his move to the federal bench. They are the only candidates, so the Republican primary is the whole ballgame. 
The campaign has gotten nasty, as Burris and his surrogates portray Edwards as an ethically compromised tool of trial lawyers, while Burris is accused of being dangerously incompetent and soft on crime. 
Internal polling suggests a close race. Both sides may combine to spend close to $2 million in the leadup to election day, with at least one out-of-state committee pouring in serious money. 
Burris serves as district judge for Division E of the 22nd Judicial District Court, covering Washington and St. Tammany parishes. He replaced his father in that role. 
He sees himself as very much in line with Crain, and said he had never read an opinion of Crain’s that he disagreed with. 
“I’m a lifelong conservative,” Burris said. “I have nothing personally against Judge Edwards. I just think I’d be the better candidate.”  
Edwards currently serves on the First Circuit Court of Appeal, and previously managed the first Juvenile Division at the 21st Judicial District Court, which covers Livingston, St. Helena and Tangipahoa. She is married to retired Tangipahoa Parish Sheriff Daniel Edwards and is the sister-in-law of former Gov. John Bel Edwards.
“I am a Republican,” she told the Baton Rouge Press Club at a candidate forum last week. “I’ve always been a lifelong Christian conservative. My parents and my grandparents raised me to be a strong conservative, even while surrounded by folks that have very different views from me.”
The state’s major business groups back Burris, while Edwards has received significant support from trial lawyers. Burris also has been the beneficiary of attack ads by First Principles PAC, a Tennessee-based “dark money” group associated with nationally prominent conservative activist Leonard Leo. 
First Principles has accused Edwards of “pretending to be a Republican” and being named “judge of the year” by “transgender loving, sex-change promoting DEI radicals.” In small print, the ad references Court Appointed Special Advocates, which honored Edwards in 2016.
Of course, a Juvenile Court judge getting recognition from CASA was not controversial at the time. Edwards even brags about it in an ad featuring Sheriffs Jason Ard of Livingston Parish, James Pohlmann of St. Bernard and Randy Smith of St. Tammany. 
But last year, the Trump administration said it would cancel federal grants for the National CASA/GAL Association for Children before rescinding that decision, reportedly after the group removed references to race, class and gender diversity from its training materials, which apparently provides the basis for the attack.
Edwards is a former Democrat, and even ran for mayor of Amite City as a Dem in 2000. But she told LaPolitics that she has been a registered Republican since at least as far back as 2003, which is before President Donald Trump or U.S. Sen. John Kennedy joined the GOP.
An ally even obtained a temporary restraining order meant to stop First Principles from disseminating “false information” about her political affiliation. 
Burris’ campaign wants to tie Edwards to Smitty’s Supply, site of an explosion last summer that caused evacuations in Tangipahoa.
She took out a loan in 2012 from a company with the same owner, which Burris argues should have led her to recuse herself when Smitty’s came before her court. 
Edwards said she had no idea about the connection when her appeals court dealt with a workers’ comp dispute involving the company.
The panel of judges partially affirmed the workers’ compensation judge’s decision but adjusted how attorney’s fees would be awarded. 
“I don’t know why we’re talking about it,” she said. “I shouldn’t have to recuse myself because I didn’t get any money from Smitty’s.”
Edwards has questioned Burris’ legal acumen, saying his decisions were overturned when appealed 42% of the time, “which is unheard of,” while she has “only been overturned three times in 16 years.”
He also has given “illegally lenient sentences” to “child molesters,” she said. 
Burris said he had never heard the “42 percent” number and didn’t see how it could be true. 
“I’ve had literally hundreds of writ applications denied, which is in essence the court of appeal or the Supreme Court agreeing that I’d already taken the appropriate action,” he said. 
At the Press Club debate, he also pushed back on the notion that he’s a soft sentencer.
“In thousands of cases, she has found five cases where she thinks it was an illegally lenient sentence,” Burris said. “Let me tell you something about criminal law. I know y’all might find this amazing: Not every single case filed is a slam dunk guilty verdict.”
In his campaign finance report filed April 16, Burris reported raising $306,400 and spending almost $113,000, with close to $200,000 on hand. Edwards reported raising a total of almost $754,000, including a $125,000 loan to herself, spending more than $366,000 and having more than $446,000 on hand. 
Supreme Court District 1 includes Livingston, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa and Washington parishes, along with part of Orleans. While the Senate race will be the headliner statewide, elections for the Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, Congressional District 5 and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education could have the region leading the state in voter turnout.
For more Louisiana political news, visit www. LaPolitics.com or follow Alford on X @ LaPoliticsNow.

DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have been separated for 15 years. Our two grown children are on the spectrum. For the past two years, our daughter has lived with her father because she wouldn’t agree to be part of the team at my home and abide by the basic rules: Pick up after yourself, take your animal out, flush the toilet, etc.
Now Dad has a girlfriend, and he won’t spend any time with his daughter alone without his girlfriend. He also blames me because his son doesn’t want to have anything to do with him. Our son refuses to see him because his father beat him when he was 12. My son is 25 now, but he also blames me for what happened. Please help me understand how I can help bridge this gap.
CHALLENGED MOM IN PENNSYLVANIA

DEAR CHALLENGED MOM: You cannot bridge a gap you didn’t create. You can, however, stay out of the line of fire. Because someone is on the spectrum does not mean they are unable to function. Your daughter will have to accept the rules of the house she lives in, and, if that means she, her father and the girlfriend are a family of three, she’ll have to learn to accept it.
As for your son, you are not to blame for a beating your estranged husband administered when the boy was 12. If your son is still living with you, stand up for yourself and tell him that if he can’t behave respectfully, he will have to pack his bags and go. (At that point you should start living your own life.)

DEAR ABBY: I have been a shuttle driver for 10 years. One customer has been somewhat of a regular, together with his wife, for about four years. I have provided quality service during all that time. His wife has graciously thanked me for the rides and often tells me how much they value my service.
I have sometimes driven them to the airport and home in dangerous driving conditions. He is retired, and his wife works from home as a lawyer. They have a second home in warmer weather. They obviously are not hurting for money. Unfortunately, the husband is the one who pays the fare, and, when he does, he gives me a $2.00 tip. That’s a whopping 3.17% tip on a $63.00 fare.
I consider anything under 10% cheap and insulting unless the customer can’t afford even that much, or any amount, which sometimes happens. I don’t believe in pressuring my customers for tips, so I haven’t mentioned it to either of them. My average tip is about 15%, and I often receive more than 25%. How would you deal with this?
DRIVING AN EASY BARGAIN

DEAR DRIVING: Let me phrase it this way: I would remember that I was in a service business, dealing with many kinds of people — some more generous than others. Then I would try to decide whether I wanted to be as available to the stingy ones.

***

To order “How to Write Letters for All Occasions,” send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $8 to: Dear Abby — Letter Booklet, P.O. Box 446, Kings Mills, OH 45034-0446.

Juanita Elaine deLaunay
Juanita Elaine deLaunay, 91, a native of Lake Arthur and resident of Lafayette, died Friday, April 24, 2026.
She is survived by children, Debby Barletta, Matthew Hebert and Cynthia Randall; five grandchildren, seven great-grandchildren; and siblings, Paul deLaunay, Karen Fung and Margaret deLaunay.
She was preceded in death by a daughter and three brothers.
Memorial visitation will be Saturday from 2 p.m. until services at 2:30 p.m. at The Crossway Ministry in Patterson. Private graveside services will be held at a later date.
Hargrave Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

BATON ROUGE — Even though early voting is scheduled to start Saturday, Louisiana’s Republican leaders are likely to delay party primaries in congressional races after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the maps of the state’s six districts are unconstitutional, state lawmakers said.
As this story was prepared for publication early Thursday, no decision to delay early voting or the May 16 primary had been announced.
State Atty. Gen. Liz Murrill said after the court ruling Wednesday that there is still time to suspend the party primaries and redraw the maps, a process that almost certainly would eliminate at least one of the two majority-Black districts.
Gov. Jeff Landry and legislative leaders know that any change in the election schedule is likely to be challenged in court.
Interviews with lawmakers in both parties show how many factors are at play.
“At least in my opinion, you can’t go forward with early voting, because you would be voting in districts that are unconstitutional,” Sen. Eddie Lambert, R-Gonzales, said in an interview.
Lambert explained that lawmakers might be able to use bills that have already been filed in the current legislative session to redraw the maps. But, he said, that could be “very contentious when you’re redrawing the districts, as it is in all situations.”
Another question is whether there would be time to revamp the process under Louisiana’s new closed party primary system. It allows Republican voters to choose only among Republican candidates and Democratic voters only among Democratic candidates in the first of what could be three phases of balloting.
In-person voting is scheduled for May 16 in the party primaries. The primaries could yield runoffs among the top vote-getters in each party followed by a general election in the fall.
“I don’t know if you have enough time to have closed primaries, with districts drawn in that short period of time and then be ready for the November election,” Lambert said.
Democratic lawmakers argued that halting or delaying elections could create voter confusion and diminish voter representation.
“Hopefully, we do the responsible thing and let this election finish,” Sen. Larry Selders, D-Baton Rouge said in an interview. “We don’t want to confuse the voters if we stop the election.”
In a 6–3 ruling, the Supreme Court invalidated Louisiana’s 2022 congressional map, striking down district lines that had previously been redrawn after legal challenges over minority voting power.
Louisiana’s map had been revised after federal district and appellate judges had ruled that Black voters, who make up roughly 30% of the state’s population, deserved more representation through a second majority-Black congressional district.
The Supreme Court’s ruling now raises broader questions about Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act, which prohibits voting practices that discriminate based on race.
“Proper representation is being taken away,” Selders said. “This is monumental for the Civil Rights Act. People fought for a long time, people died, just for representation and it is disheartening that this is even happening right now.”
Sen. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, said that the Supreme Court’s ruling is “an extreme disappointment for anybody who believes in fair representation.”
“In this case, the Supreme Court has weakened a lot of the protections that was in place since 1965 for black voters in particular,” he said.
Duplessis said the most pressing question is “not so much whether or not there will be new maps that are fought for and voted on, but when they will take effect.”
He said he did not believe the Legislature should alter the current elections, for which candidates had to file qualifying papers in February.
“It would be illegal to do that because the elections are already underway,” Duplessis said.
Any delay in the elections also could shake up the dynamics in a hotly contested race for the 5th congressional district seat.
Republican U.S. Rep. Julia Letlow vacated that seat to run against U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, also a Republican. Seven Republicans and five Democrats are running for Letlow’s seat.
One of them, state Rep. Michael Echols, R-Monroe, said in an interview: “I think there’s one of two outcomes. Either we’ll run in the existing district just like we are now, and then two years from now, we’ll adopt an updated map, which I think is the map we passed twice over the last few years that the court overturned. That’s one path.
“Or the other path is we delay the election we’re currently having, and we adopt the map that we passed a few years ago,” Echols said.
He said he feels good about his own chances either way. But, he said, “I assume whatever decision is made will be challenged in court short-term.”
He added that any changes in the election schedule are “going to be confusing for people because we’ve already been messaging that this race is happening.”
Under the most likely scenario, the state would continue with other elections on the ballot May 16, including the U.S. Senate race, in which Cassidy, Letlow and state treasurer John Fleming have all been spending heavily as they compete in the Republican primary.
There also are local races and five state constitutional amendments on the ballots for voters, whether they are planning to vote early starting Saturday or go to the polls on May 16.
Duplessis said that to continue with the current schedule for those elections while rescheduling the congressional ones to other dates would be “a huge issue, wasted taxpayer money. And that will ultimately lead to people staying home. And that will ultimately lead to voter suppression.”
Another factor is that President Donald Trump has been pressuring politically red states to redraw their congressional maps to try to help Republicans gain seats nationally to keep from losing control of the U.S. House of Representatives this fall.
Lawmakers say Landry would like to accommodate Trump.
But it was also Landry who pushed for the change to closed primaries in Louisiana from open primaries, in which candidates from all parties ran against each other in the first phase of the elections. The changes moved up the candidate qualifying deadlines and the primary election dates, adding to the time squeeze that officials now face in deciding what to do.
Gracie Thomas, Izzy Wollfarth and Sheridan White contributed to this story.