Title: EDWARD LEWIS BECKER v. LYNN B. DEAN, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN

State: louisiana

Issuer: Louisiana Supreme Court

Document:

FOR IMMEDIATE NEWS RELEASE NEWS RELEASE # 62 FROM : CLERK OF SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA The Opinion handed down on the 17th day of September, 2003, is as follows: PER CURIAM: 2003-C- 2493 EDWARD LEWIS BECKER v. LYNN B. DEAN, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN HIS CAPACITY AS CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF COUNCILMAN-AT-LARGE(EAST), ST. BERNARD PARISH, AND LENA R. TORRES, IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS CLERK OF COURT, ECT. (Parish of St. Bernard) For reasons to be assigned at a later date: The judgments of the lower courts are reversed. The candidacy of Lynn B. Dean for the office of councilman-at-large (East) for the Parish of St. Bernard is hereby reinstated. Reversed; Candidacy Reinstated. CALOGERO, C.J., dissents and will assign reasons. TRAYLOR, J., dissents and will assign reasons. WEIMER, J., dissents and will assign reasons. 1 9/18/03 SUPREME COURT OF LOUISIANA No. 03-C-2493 EDWARD LEWIS BECKER v. LYNN B. DEAN, INDIVIDUALLY AND IN HIS CAPACITY AS CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF COUNCILMAN-AT- LARGE (EAST), ST. BERNARD PARISH, AND LENA R. TORRES, IN HER OFFICIAL CAPACITY AS CLERK OF COURT, ETC. ON WRIT OF CERTIORARI TO THE COURT OF APPEAL, FOURTH CIRCUIT, PARISH OF ST. BERNARD PER CURIAM Plaintiff, Edward Lewis Becker, filed this suit seeking to disqualify defendant, Lynn B. Dean, as a candidate for the office of councilman-at-large (East) for the Parish of St. Bernard in the election scheduled for October 4, 2003. Subsequent to a hearing held on August 29, 2003, the district court rendered judgment in favor of plaintiff, ordering that Lynn B. Dean be disqualified as a candidate for the office of councilman-at-large (East) for the Parish of St. Bernard and that Lena R. Torres, Clerk of Court, issue the necessary notification of the disqualification to the Secretary of State and the Commissioner of Elections as provided by law. Defendant appealed and the court of appeal affirmed the judgment of the district court. Becker v. Dean, 03- 1561 (La. App. 4 Cir. 9/5/03), __ So.2d __. On defendant’s application, we granted certiorari, Becker v. Dean, 03-2493 (La. 9/12/03), __ So.2d __, and conducted oral arguments. For reasons that will follow at a later date, we reverse the judgments of 2 the lower courts and find that Lynn B. Dean meets the qualifications to be a candidate for the office of councilman-at-large (East) for the Parish of St. Bernard. Decree The judgments of the lower courts are reversed. The candidacy of Lynn B. Dean for the office of councilman-at-large (East) for the Parish of St. Bernard is hereby reinstated. Reversed; Candidacy Reinstated.