BATON ROUGE — Embattled Baton Rouge Judge Eboni Johnson Rose, who was removed from the bench by the Louisiana Supreme Court earlier this year, has lost her bid to join Louisiana’s First Circuit Court of Appeal.
Kelly Balfour, who served on the 19th Judicial District Court bench alongside Rose until her suspension, won Tuesday’s election, according to complete but unofficial election returns. Balfour secured 57% of the vote, while Rose received 43%.
First Circuit judges serve 10-year terms and represent 16 parishes in Southeast Louisiana, including Ascension, Assumption, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, West Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, and Tangipahoa parishes.
Balfour, 50, will replace Jewel “Duke” Welch, who was ineligible to run due to state law preventing candidates over 70 from seeking the position. Balfour will take office in early 2025.
Elected to the 19th Judicial District Court in a 2019 special election, Balfour previously served as a public defender for the 15th Judicial District, spending 12 years leading the public defender’s office.
Rose’s past rulings have faced scrutiny. In March, Rose convicted a former Baton Rouge police officer, Donald Steele Jr., on a nonexistent charge of misdemeanor malfeasance in office during a bench trial. She later admitted her error and acquitted Steele. However, in September, the First Circuit Court of Appeal reinstated the guilty verdict, finding Steele guilty of felony malfeasance in office.
In April, the Louisiana Supreme Court overturned another controversial ruling by Rose, where she improperly allowed a jury to change its verdict from “not guilty” to “guilty” after meeting privately with her. The Supreme Court ruled the procedure improper and upheld the original “not guilty” verdict.
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