Environment
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
StateLouisianaEnacted
SB 479: JUDGES: Provides for legislative address to the governor for the removal of certain judges for malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence committed while in office. (See Act)
Jay Morris
SB 479 status: Enacted — Signed by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 916 (updated Jun 12, 2026).
Source
OpenStates
Confidence
Low
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
01
What this bill does
Official summary alongside an AI-generated read on where it stands and why.
Overall Score
50OUT OF 100
Score:50/100 civic fit — mixed
Risk:Moderate Risk
Impact:Moderate Impact 60/100
Constitutionality40%
Bipartisan50%
Public opinion50%
Bill summary
What changes
The legislation creates a formal mechanism for the state legislature to request the Governor to remove judges from office.
Who is affected
Members of the judiciary in Louisiana.
Requirements and enforcement
The legislature must establish that a judge is guilty of malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence to trigger the address to the Governor.
Costs and funding
Not stated in the available source.
When it takes effect
Became Act No. 916 following signing by the Governor on June 12, 2026.
Potential benefits
Provides a clearer path for the removal of unfit or corrupt judicial officers, theoretically increasing public trust.
Risks and tradeoffs
Risk of creating a politicized judiciary, potential for separation of powers disputes, and the possibility of legislative overreach into individual judge's tenure.
What is still unknown
The exact procedural burden of proof required to substantiate 'incompetence' or 'gross misconduct' under the new process remains unclear.
02
Impact analysis
✦ AI analysisModeled effects across six domains, estimated from bill text and comparable legislation.
Economy
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Society
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Technology Industry
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
Civic Accountability
Mixed / Neutral
50%
Benefits
- Increases direct accountability for judicial officers
- Provides an explicit mechanism to address corruption
- Strengthens legislative oversight of the judicial branch
Risks
- Risks politicizing judicial branch operations
- Creates potential for legislative intimidation of judges
- Threatens the separation of powers doctrine
Public Health & Safety
No direct effect
Neutral — no direct effect identified.
Benefits
- No material direct effect identified.
Risks
- No material direct effect identified.
03
How trustworthy & consequential it is
Sourcing already shown above, this is what the analysis found worth flagging.
Source
OpenStates
Official bill text or data from OpenStates.
Confidence
Low
Information is limited or incomplete.
Analysis basis
OpenStates summary
Source used for this bill's analysis.
Source note
LegiScan returned a PDF-only document. PDF extraction is not enabled in this build, so the pipeline used a safer fallback.
Analysis scope
Source provided is a summary; full text not reviewed.
04
Where it stands
Official recordSigned by the Governor. Becomes Act No. 916.
- IntroducedComplete
- CommitteeComplete
- Chamber votesComplete
- Final agreementComplete
- GovernorComplete
- EnactedComplete
05
How it affects your district
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06
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