Case Name: David DECULUS, Clara Deculus, Della Neely & Nancy Salemi v. Doug WELBORN, Clerk of Court for East Baton Rouge Parish & Candidate Cleo Fields
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Jurisdiction: Louisiana
Decision Date: 2007-10-01
Citations: 964 So. 2d 930
Docket Number: No. 2007-C-1888
Parties: David DECULUS, Clara Deculus, Della Neely & Nancy Salemi v. Doug WELBORN, Clerk of Court for East Baton Rouge Parish & Candidate Cleo Fields.
Judges: JOHNSON, J., dissents and assigns reasons.
Reporter: Southern Reporter, Second Series
Volume: 964
Pages: 930–937

Head Matter:
David DECULUS, Clara Deculus, Della Neely & Nancy Salemi v. Doug WELBORN, Clerk of Court for East Baton Rouge Parish & Candidate Cleo Fields.
No. 2007-C-1888.
Supreme Court of Louisiana.
Oct. 1, 2007.
Brace B. Godfrey, Jr., Lewis 0. Ungles-by, Baton Rouge, for Applicant.
Frank P. Simoneaux, R. Gray Sexton, Baton Rouge; Freeman Law Firm, Dayne Mario Freeman, Baton Rouge, Donald Carl Hodge, Jr., Jason Luke Melancon, Baton Rouge, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Attorney General, William P. Bryan, III, Uma M. Subramanian, Assistant Attorneys General, Sheri Marcus Morris, Baton Rouge, for respondent.
Yolanda Johnson Dixon, Jerry J. Guillot, and Glenn Alan Koepp, for Amicus Curiae, Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana.

Opinion:
KIMBALL, J.
I,We granted certiorari in this election challenge to consider the parameters of the term limitation in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) and the relationship, if any, between La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) and La. R.S. 18:601(B). We find that La. R.S. 18:601(B) does not conflict with La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) and that the language of La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) precludes Senator Cleo Fields from seeking re-election to Louisiana Senate District 14 in the October 20, 2007, election.
FACTS AND PROCEDURAL HISTORY
The four-year term of office, set forth in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(C), for Senate District 14 began on January 8, 1996. The senator who began that term resigned, and on December 13, 1997, Senator Fields was elected to fill the unexpired remainder of that term. The secretary of state promulgated the election results on December 18, 1997. On December 23, 1997, Senator Fields timely submitted the oath of office to |2the secretary of state. The oath of office submitted by Senator Fields contained the text specified in La. Const, art. X, § 30. On March 23, 1998, the first day of the First Extraordinary Session, Senator Fields took a second oath of office before the Senate, again reciting the text specified in La. Const, art. X, § 30.
Senator Fields was subsequently elected to serve second and third consecutive four-year terms as Senator for Senate District 14. On September 4, 2007, Senator Fields filed a notice of candidacy with the Clerk of Court for the Parish of East Baton Rouge, stating his intention to qualify as a candidate in the election for Senator of Louisiana Senate District 14. The primary election is scheduled for October 20, 2007.
On September 10, 2007, Plaintiffs filed a petition in the 19th Judicial District Court, objecting to Senator Fields' candidacy. The basis of the objection was that La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) prohibited Senator Fields from seeking re-election in the October 20, 2007, primary election. In response, Senator Fields filed a declinatory exception raising the objection of lack of subject matter jurisdiction, a peremptory exception raising the objection of no cause of action, and a motion for summary judgment.
The district court held an expedited trial of this matter as required by the Louisiana Election Code. The district court found that it had subject matter jurisdiction and overruled the peremptory exception raising the objection of no cause |aof action. The trial court also denied Senator Fields' motion for summary judgment and dismissed the plaintiffs' petition objecting to Senator Fields' candidacy.
The court of appeal affirmed that portion of the trial court's judgment which found subject matter jurisdiction over the plaintiffs' challenge to candidacy. The court of appeal further found the plaintiffs' appeal was proper according to La. R.S. 18:1409 and La. Const, art. V, § 10(A). Applying the "clear language of La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E)," the court of appeal also found that Senator Fields was prohibited by law from becoming a candidate in the October 20, 2007, election for Senator of Louisiana Senate District 14. In reaching its decision, the court of appeal reasoned that Senator Fields had been elected to serve as a member of the Senate for that district for more than two and one-half terms.
Senator Fields filed the instant writ application on September 21, 2007, asserting that La. R.S. 18:601 (B) establishes when a senator elected to serve an unexpired term commences his or her service in office, and that is the determinative date for purposes of the legislative term limitation. The plaintiffs, however, aver that the date of the election controls whether a legislator is term limited. On September 24, 2007, this Court granted Senator Fields' application for writs of review from the court of appeal and held oral argument on September 26, 2007.
!,DISCUSSION
The issue before this court involves the interpretation of the constitutional term limitation found in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) and whether it precludes Senator Fields from seeking re-election to Senate District 14. In its simplest form, the primary disagreement between the parties involves ascertaining the determinative date for the applicability of constitutional term limitations. Plaintiffs assert that the "elected to serve" language in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) means that the date of election to a vacant term is the controlling date. In contrast, defendants allege that the language "term of office" in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) requires the "service" of an actual term of office, as service is defined in La. R.S. 18:601(B). Thus, defendants argue that La. R.S. 18:601(B) is required in order to give effect to La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E). To resolve this conflict, we must therefore determine whether La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) refers to the date of election or the term of service.
While the language of La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) was incorporated into the Louisiana Constitution in 1995, because of the time period set forth (i.e., "not more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms"), these issues remained relatively dormant until the 2006 session of the legislature. At that time, legislators indicated an uncertainty of the determinative date for the applicability of the constitutional term limitation, when part of the service included the completion of an unexpired term of office caused by a vacancy in that office. In response, the legislature adopted La. R.S. 18:601(B) to define the beginning of a term of office for a legislator for purposes of La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E). La. R.S. 18:601(B) defines the beginning of service as when a person "takes the oath of office before his house of the legislature." Therefore, if the determinative date is the date the "service of a person" begins, as defendant alleges, he contends that La. R.S. 18:601(B) applies, | ^unless and until it is declared unconstitutional. If, however, the date a person is "elected to serve" is determinative, then the legislature's definition of when service begins is of no moment. Therefore, our inquiry must begin with the meaning of La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E).
We start our analysis with the language of La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E), enacted by Acts 1995, No. 1326, Section 1, which sets forth legislative term limits in the following manner:
Election Limitation. No person who has been elected to serve as a member of the Senate for more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms, that service being during a term of office that began on or after January 8, 1996, shall be elected to the Senate for the succeeding term. No person who has been elected to serve as a member of the House of Representatives for more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms, that service being during a term of office that began on or after January 8,1996, shall be elected to the House of Representatives for the succeeding term.
La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) was introduced into the legislature as House Bill 1044 in 1995. The joint resolution, as originally introduced, was titled "Limitation on Terms." After amendment, the final version of the title became "Election Limitation." It is important to note that, while not determinative, the title of an act may be instructive in ascertaining its meaning. Pritchard, v. Southern Ins. Co. of Nashville, Tenn., 176 La. 187, 145 So. 374 (1932); Authement v. Skappert Engineering and St. Paul Fire & Marine Insurance Company, 02-1631 (La.2/25/03); 840 So.2d 1181, citing Green v. Louisiana Underwriters Insurance Co., et al, 571 So.2d 610 (La.1990).
Additionally, the substantive language of House Bill 1044 was changed. The original version proposed language which read: "[a] person who has served as a member of the Senate...." If that language had remained, it would be similar to the | f;term limitation applicable to the office of the governor. However, during the legislative process, House Bill 1044 was amended several times and the pertinent language was changed to read: "A person who has been elected to serve as a member of the Senate.... " This change evidences a clear intent by the legislature that the date of the election, rather than the service of a person, is determinative.
The clear language of the constitutional provision, buttressed by an analysis of the legislative history, establishes that the people enacted an amendment to the Constitution which provides that the date of the election is determinative in an analysis of the applicability of term limits.-
Because we find that the date a legislator is elected to serve is operative in determining whether he is term limited under La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E), it is therefore necessary to determine when a candidate is officially elected. According to La. R.S. 18:576(C), the secretary of state is required to compile the results of the elections immediately upon receipt of the results from the clerks of court and must make the compiled results available to the press and public. These election night results, however, are unofficial. La. R.S. 18:576(D). Following election day, the secretary of state is required to promulgate election returns on or before the twelfth day following the primary or general election. La. R.S. 18:574(E). In an uncontested election, the election returns compiled and promulgated by the secretary of state shall |7be the official results. La. R.S. 18:575(A). Therefore, according to the foregoing provisions of the Election Code, the date the secretary of state promulgates the election returns is the date on which a candidate is officially elected.
In the instant case, the election to fill the vacancy in Senate District 14 took place on December 13, 1997. The secretary of state promulgated the election returns on December 18, 1997, within the 12 days required by La. R.S. 18:574(E). The first term to which Senator Fields was elected began on January 8, 1996, and the half-way point of that term was January 9, 1998. Senator Fields was elected to serve the unexpired remainder of that term as of December 18, 1997. Accordingly, because Senator Fields was elected prior to January 9, 1998, he was elected to serve for more than half of the first term, and again for two more terms. Thus, he is precluded by the constitutional term limitation set forth in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E), from seeking re-election in the October 20, 2007, election.
Because the date of election is controlling and La. R.S. 18:601(B) merely sets the date for the beginning of the legislator's term of service, La. R.S. 18:601(B) therefore becomes irrelevant for purposes of the constitutional term limitation found in La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E). Thus, we are required to apply only the Louisiana Constitution in this instance, not because La. R.S. 18:601(B) is meaningless, but because it is not in conflict with La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E). Accordingly, La. R.S. 18:601(B) is not determinative in deciding whether a limitation is imposed on a ^candidate because of constitutional term limits, but rather determines when a legislator's service begins.
DECREE
For all of the foregoing reasons, we find Senator Cleo Fields is precluded from seeking re-election to Senate District 14 in the October 20, 2007, election for Senate District 14. Therefore, the judgment of the court of appeal is affirmed.
Pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1409(1), there shall be no opportunity for Applicant to apply for rehearing in this matter.
JOHNSON, J., dissents and assigns reasons.
WEIMER, J., additionally concurs and assigns reasons.
. La. Const, art. Ill, § 5(B) provides: "Filling Vacancy. A person elected to fill the remainder of an unexpired legislative term shall take office within 30 days after the secretary of state promulgates the election returns."
. The plaintiffs are David Deculus, Clara De-culus, Della Neely, and Nancy Salemi. All have standing to bring this action as qualified electors in Senate District 14 pursuant to La. R.S. 18:1401(A).
. La. R.S. 18:1406(0 and La. R.S. 18:1409(A) provide specific requirements for expedited proceedings in election matters.
. The judgment improperly attributes both the peremptory exception raising the objection of no cause of action and the motion for summary judgment to the plaintiffs. However, it is clear from the record that the defendant, Senator Fields, filed these pleadings.
.The text of La. Const, art. Ill/ § 4(E) provides: "No person who has been elected to serve as a member of the Senate for more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms, that service being during a term of office that began on or after January 8, 1996, shall be elected to the Senate for the succeeding term. No person who has been elected to serve as a member of the House of Representatives for more than two and one-half terms in three consecutive terms, that service being during a term of office that began on or after January 8, 1996, shall be elected to the House of Representatives for the succeeding term."
. HLS 95-1066, Regular Sess. 1995, HB 1044 (original).
. The term limitation for the office of governor is made by reference to time actually served, rather than the date of the election. La. Const, art. IV, § 3(A) provides, in pertinent part:
"A person who has served for more than one and one-half terms in two consecutive terms shall not be elected governor for the succeeding term."
. La. R.S. 18:576(D) provides:
"The election night results required to be compiled and transmitted by the provisions in this Section shall be unofficial."
. See also, La. Const, art. Ill, § 5(B), quoted at note 1, which obligates a person elected to fill an unexpired legislative term to take office within thirty days after the secretary of state promulgates the election returns.
. While there is disagreement as to whether the court of appeal ruled La. R.S. 18:601(B) unconstitutional, because of our ruling today, La. R.S. 18:601(B) and La. Const, art. Ill, § 4(E) may be harmonized; therefore, any discussion of the constitutional issue by the court of appeal was unnecessary. As such, whether or not La. R.S. 18:601(B) is unconstitutional is of no moment for our present analysis, thus we express no opinion on the constitutional issue.
. La. R.S. 18:1409(1) provides:
"No application for a new trial or for a rehearing shall be entertained by any court, but a court, upon its own motion, may correct manifest error to which its attention is called."