Four Democrats Vie for Support in Central

Courthouse intrigue and Baton Rouge politics are playing out in the race for District Judge for Division M, which will be voted on in the so-called “northern judicial sub-district” in a special election Saturday, April 4.

The northern sub-district includes Central, Baker, Zachary, and the Sherwood Forest area of Baton Rouge. The district has elected conservative Republicans for years but last year reached the tipping point racially. It is now majority black, and two black Democrats were elected to district judgeships from the sub-district last fall.

The April 4 election is to fill the vacancy left by District Judge Beau Higginbotham, who last fall ran for a vacancy in the so-called “southern judicial sub-district” composed of South Baton Rouge and St. George. He won that election, which allows him to run for reelection this fall from the presumably safe southern sub-district, instead of taking his chances in the northern sub-district this fall.

Four Democrats and no Republicans will appear on the ballot for Division M April 4, and the election campaign is proving to be the first of its kind here. Since 48 percent of the voters are overwhelmingly white and Republican, the election will test whether they will get behind the conservative Democrat in the race or allow a liberal Democrat to win.

Behind the scenes and unknown to most voters are courthouse intrigue, Baton Rouge politics, and ambitions of political figures not on the ballot. Since the advent of single-member districts for the Metro Council, East Baton Rouge Parish School, and judicial seats in the 1970’s, 1980’s, and 1990’s, most election districts have fallen neatly into majority white or majority black districts. In majority white districts, black voters have often been able to decide which white candidate won. However, it is rare for white voters to have the leverage to decide which Democrat is elected in a majority black district.

The conservative in this race is attorney Tiffany Foxworth. She is a 14-year veteran of the U. S. Army who served in Desert Storm, Iraq, and Afghanistan. A nurse and practicing attorney, she is pro-life, pro-traditional marriage, and pro-law enforcement. Her husband is Dr. Jonathan J. Roberts, MD in internal medicine. They have one daughter, Tiffany-Elle, 10. She has been endorsed by the Central City News.

Early on, powerful District Judge Janice Clark and her daughter Tasha Clark-Amar, director of the Council on Aging, reportedly decided they would support liberal white Democrat and Obama supporter Jennifer Moisant for the Division M seat. Moisant has served as chairman of the Council on Aging and been a useful face for the controversial organization, which uses taxpayer funds to haul Democratic voters to the polls in major elections. Moisant has appeared before the Metro Council, relieving Tasha Clark-Amar of the task of defending herself before the Council.

Moisant is supported by Baton Rouge attorney Yigal Bander, who filed suit to block the incorporation of the City of Central in 2005, and by Mary Olive Pierson, who filed suit to block the incorporation of the City of St. George late last year.  Moisant served first as chairman of the Council on Aging and now as treasurer during a period which saw the organization spend more and more of its efforts on supporting Democratic candidates at election time. 

However, Judge Clark and Clark-Amar reportedly abandoned Moisant when her candidacy appeared hopeless. They reportedly decided instead to recruit someone they considered more electable, Baton Rouge City Judge Yvette Alexander. Judge Alexander is considered a leading member of the Baton Rouge political establishment. However, she is largely unknown among voters in the northern sub-district. She hasn’t had an election in more than 20 years and has never been on the ballot in Baker, Central, or Zachary.

City Judge Alexander has been the subject of investigative reports in the Baton Rouge Advocate, which revealed her extensive out-of-state and foreign travel at taxpayer expense.  As the current campaign got underway, Judge Alexander was in South Africa on a three-week tour, although it is not known whether this trip is at taxpayer expense.

A total of 15 District Judges currently serve on the 19th Judicial District Court, including eight whites and seven blacks. Retired Judge Anthony Marabela is sitting as the judge for Division M. A majority of the judges can determine a number of issues of policy and personnel.

Decisions in the court don’t always fall along racial lines. The Chief Judge of the District Court has included Judge Wilson Fields. Judge Tim Kelley, and Judge Janice Clark in recent years. Kelley is a Republican while Fields and Clark are Democrats.

The political intrigue at the 19th Judicial District Court includes ongoing problems between Judge Janice Clark and her chief adversary on the court, Judge Don Johnson. They have been at odds for years.  In December, voters in the northern sub-district elected Don Johnson’s twin brother, Ron Johnson, to the District Court. 

In the April 4 election, Baton Rouge attorney Eboni Johnson-Rose is one of the four Democrats running for the Division M seat on the court.

Eboni “Johnson-Rose” is the daughter of District Judge Ron Johnson and the niece of District Judge Don Johnson.  Her election would add to the power base of the Johnson brothers on the court. “Johnson-Rose” is in quotes because that is not actually the candidate’s name. Her maiden name was Eboni Townsend and her married name is Eboni Rose. “Johnson” has never been in her name, according to our research. However, she will appear on the ballot as Eboni Johnson-Rose.

The election of Eboni Johnson-Rose would be a blow to Judge Clark and Tasha Clark-Amar’s efforts to control the District Court bench and a plus for the Don and Ron Johnson faction on the court.

Tiffany Foxworth, the conservative Democrat, has been campaigning hard in Central and hopes to put together a coalition of Democrats and Republicans to win the seat.

If no candidate wins on April 4, a runoff will be held on May 9.