Our firm is pleased to announce that the Louisiana Supreme Court has reinstated Mayor Adrian Perkins of Shreveport, LA as a candidate for reelection on November 8, 2022.

Mayor Perkins is a native son of Shreveport. In the wake of 9/11, he accepted a nomination to West Point where he was elected class president.  Mayor Perkins achieved the rank of Captain and Company Commander in the Army and was awarded the Bronze Star for his service.  After three tours of duty, he entered Harvard Law School, where he was again elected student body president.  He was elected mayor of Shreveport in 2018 and has served with distinction since. 

Within a week of Mayor Perkins' filing his notice of candidacy for reelection, Shreveport resident Francis Deal filed suit seeking to have Mayor Perkins disqualified based on a technical error on his Notice of Candidacy form.  The error concerned Mayor Perkins' certification that he was registered to vote where he claimed a homestead exemption (a condominium he purchased in Shreveport while in office) when in fact he was still registered at his long time, former Shreveport residence. 

The trial court correctly found that “Nothing adduced at the trial on the merits suggested that the mayor had any nefarious purpose in making the error, nor that he sought any personal or political advantage from the inaccuracy...His testimony established, rather, that it was simply an oversight attendant upon changing residence while serving in public office.” Nonetheless, the trial court disqualified Mayor Perkins from standing for reelection based on what we argued was an erroneous interpretation of the Louisiana Election Code.  The Supreme Court agreed, overturned the trial court, and reinstated Mayor Perkins as a candidate.  The Court's ruling is here

In a press release, Scott Bickford stated, “As I expressed at oral argument, Louisiana Courts have always favored allowing the voters to decide the outcome of elections.  Today is a victory for the voters of not only Shreveport but also of the entire State.  I wish Mayor Perkins well in his reelection bid.”

Scott Bickford argued the case before the Supreme Court and Second Circuit Court of Appeal, while Spencer Doody led the briefing efforts with substantial assistance from Jeremy Landry.  Larry Centola argued the case for Mayor Perkins at the trial court level in Shreveport.