LaPolitics by Maginnis: PSC race heats up, while Supreme Court candidate field remains crowded

Published Aug 10, 2012 at 10:00 am (Updated Aug 10, 2012)

Scott Angelle may have finally silenced those complaining that he can't make up his mind, as he made some major moves this week. First, on Tuesday, he was appointed to the LSU Board of Supervisors; on Wednesday, he resigned as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Natural Resources; then on Thursday, he jumped headlong into the Public Service Commission race against Rep. Erich Ponti of Baton Rouge and former Lafayette Parish Councilman Ed Roy. All three men are Republicans. Angelle leaves the DNR as the agency grapples with its response to the bizarre phenomenon of an enormous sinkhole that has swallowed trees and earth in Assumption Parish following mysterious reports of natural gas bubbling in nearby Bayou Corne. Local media outlets reported Thursday that the suspected cause of the bubbles and the 422-foot-deep hole is the failure of a nearby salt cavern that DNR officials knew had structural problems as early as January 2011.

—In an election that could realign the state Supreme Court, LABI's recent endorsement might not have the intended effect of weeding out the crowded field of at least six sitting judges. Indeed, the nod given to District Judge William Morvant of Baton Rouge could cause a split with social conservatives over a controversial ruling by the jurist concerning gay marriage. With qualifying opening next week to fill the vacancy from the retirement of Chief Justice Catherine "Kitty" Kimball, four Court of Appeal judges and two district judges are lined up to run. The election could affect the balance of the court, particularly on liability issues, because Democrat Kimball is considered its most centrist member. The statewide business community sees the opportunity to establish a solid conservative majority in the November primary that is headed to an all-but-certain December runoff.

They said it: "We have decided we will have a child. I know it sounds impossible, but it is something I want to do." —Former Gov. Edwin Edwards at an appearance with his wife, Trina, in Erath, from VermilionToday.com

(John Maginnis publishes LaPolitics Weekly, a newsletter on Louisiana politics, at LaPolitics.com.)