Newly Elected Baton Rouge City Court Judge Sees Seat as First Step

89.3 WRKF Baton Rouge | By Ann Marie Awad

Published November 13, 2015 at 6:00 AM EST

The Baton Rouge City Court will have a new judge-at-large next year. The legislature created the seat over the summer in response to allegations that the court did not accurately reflect the racial makeup of the city. Previously there were three majority white districts and two majority black in a city that is more than 50 percent black. Tarvald Smith, a former public defender in Baker and a former member of the East Baton Rouge School Board won the seat.

Tarvald Smith will be sworn into his City Court judge seat on Nov. 16.

Louisiana News

Ann Marie Awad

Ann Marie came a long way to WRKF. Originally from Buffalo, NY, where she was a freelance print reporter, she moved to New York City to get a masters in journalism from the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism. During her time at CUNY, she interned with Brooklyn's Heritage Radio Network and Philadelphia's WHYY FM. When she's not wielding a microphone, Ann Marie loves comic books, politics and a great cup of coffee.

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