City Judge Chris Hester Seeking Seat On State 1st Circuit Court of Appeal

Baton Rouge City Judge Chris Hester has announced his candidacy for the First Circuit Court of Appeal in the Nov. 3 election. He was elected city judge in November 2018.

Hester said he feels his experience handling civil and criminal matters, including traffic, small claims, and evictions, from the City Court bench has given him an understanding of the root issues of many problems facing our community. Before becoming judge, Chris spent the majority of his career working as an assistant district attorney with the East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney’s Office. 

He previously served as section chief of a trial section and held the positions of chief homicide prosecutor and section chief of the Violent Crimes Unit. He handled thousands of cases from misdemeanors to murders over a nine-year period.

Hester earned the endorsement of East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Hillar C. Moore, III, former East Baton Rouge Parish District Attorney Doug Moreau, the Louisiana Association of Business & Industry, the Baton Rouge Area Chamber FuturePAC, Baton Rouge Union of Police, and the Baton Rouge Association of Firefighters.

As the chief homicide prosecutor, Chris saw the biggest challenges — habitual offenders in the criminal justice system. He recognizes that these violent crime offenders often start with a misdemeanor handled in Baton Rouge City Court or District Court. He believes this experience combined with his time as a City Court judge has cultivated Chris’ passion for solving serious issues that plague our community and prepared him to run for Court of Appeal. 

Judge Hester said he is committed to bringing a firm but fair perspective, tireless work ethic, and extensive courtroom experience to this important position as he seeks to build a better Louisiana. He said he understands the real impact crime has on our parish, but he knows the difference an effective justice system can make when committed to serving the people. The safety and security of East Baton Rouge Parish families will always be his top priority, he said.

“We need experienced judges who have handled cases from both sides of the bench who are ready to go from day one. The stakes are simply too high at this level of our judicial system,” Hester said. “Judges need to be proven, fair and trustworthy. I’m the only candidate with judicial experience in this race and I’ve spent my career in the courtroom.”

Chris was born and raised in Baton Rouge. He is a graduate of Catholic High School, LSU, and LSU Law School. Chris is a lifelong conservative Republican. Before joining the EBRDA Office, Chris began his law career at Watson, Blanche, Wilson and Posner, a law firm practicing primarily in the area of medical malpractice defense. 

Chris is active in the community as the head coach of the 8th grade basketball team at St. Aloysius Catholic School, Baton Rouge and Louisiana State Bar Associations, and a committee member at First United Methodist Church. He is married to Emily Burris Hester, and they have two young children.

Hester said he hopes to transition his role from City Court to the First Circuit Court of Appeal, while still continuing to seek justice for the people of East Baton Rouge Parish. 

To learn more about Chris and his campaign, visit: www.VoteHester.com