SB 479: JUDGES: Provides for legislative address to the governor for the removal of certain judges for malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence committed while in office. (See Act) - Louisiana

Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2391, Morris, Jay, Adopted → SB479 Act 916 · 4 edits

MODERATE

The bill was converted from a Senate floor amendment draft into an enrolled Act, finalizing its text for signature. The core policy content remains focused on establishing a new legislative impeachment process for public officials and judges, defining grounds for removal such as gross misconduct and malfeasance, and outlining procedures for investigations by a joint legislative committee.

Scope change

The bill's scope is now formally established as a new chapter (Chapter 21-A) in the Louisiana Revised Statutes, moving from a proposed amendment to enacted law.

TECHNICAL

The document format changed from a draft amendment note to an official enrolled Act with a new Act number (916) and session designation (2026 Regular Session).

DEFINITION

New statutory definitions for 'gross misconduct' and 'malfeasance while in office' were added to clarify the specific behaviors that warrant impeachment.

REQUIREMENT

Procedures for initiating impeachment were added, requiring a three-fifths vote to form a joint legislative committee and a sworn citizen complaint to trigger an investigation.

ENFORCEMENT

A new mechanism was created allowing the legislature to pause impeachment proceedings if a concurrent disciplinary investigation is already underway by the Judiciary Commission or Board of Ethics.

SB479 Original → Senate Floor Bureau Note, #2391, Morris, Jay, Adopted · 1 edit

MINOR

The bill was amended to remove the word 'Louisiana' from a specific line in the text, likely to correct a redundancy or formatting error. This change does not alter the substantive policy, scope, or legal effect of the legislation.

TECHNICAL

Removed the word 'Louisiana' from page 2, line 2 of the bill text.

SB479 Enrolled → SB479 Original · 8 edits

MODERATE

The bill was stripped of its original bipartisan sponsors and replaced with a single sponsor, while the core text was completely rewritten to replace a complex impeachment process with a simpler 'legislative address' mechanism. This change shifts the removal process from a lengthy investigation by a joint committee to a direct vote by the legislature that is immediately enforceable by the governor, significantly lowering the procedural hurdles for removing judges.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a broad removal process for public officials via impeachment to a specific mechanism for removing judges via legislative address. The applicability was narrowed to judges and Supreme Court justices, and the process was simplified to remove the requirement for a joint investigative committee.

ELIGIBILITY

Removed 24 co-sponsors, leaving only Senator Morris as the sole sponsor.

DEFINITION

Redefined 'gross misconduct' to include 'grossly negligent performance' and changed 'malfeasance' to explicitly include 'persistent refusal to follow laws'.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new definition for 'legislative address' as a concurrent resolution addressed to the governor to inform him of an official's removal.

Deleted the requirement for a joint legislative committee to investigate complaints and determine probable cause before proceeding.

Changed the voting threshold from a three-fifths majority of both houses to a simple majority of the House and two-thirds of the Senate.

Added a specific right for the official to be represented by counsel during a trial in the Senate.

Replaced the detailed complaint filing requirements with a general requirement for written cause containing detailed allegations.

ENFORCEMENT

Established that a legislative address becomes effective immediately upon a favorable vote and is mandatory for the governor to certify, enforceable by mandamus.

SB479 Reengrossed → SB479 Enrolled · 4 edits · Jun 1, 2026

MODERATE

The bill was finalized as 'Enrolled' and its title was changed from 'Legislative Address' to 'Legislative Impeachment,' reflecting a shift from a unique removal process to one consistent with standard constitutional impeachment procedures. The definitions of misconduct were expanded to include willful violations and disrepute to the judicial system, and the process now allows for a joint legislative committee investigation with subpoena power before any removal vote occurs.

Scope change

The bill's scope changed from a specialized removal mechanism for judges to a formal impeachment process that applies to elected or appointed judges and Supreme Court justices, aligning the procedure with Article X, Section 24 of the Louisiana Constitution.

DEFINITION

Redefined 'gross misconduct' to include willful and persistent failures to follow laws, conduct bringing disrepute to the judiciary, and violations of judicial canons, while removing the definition of 'incompetence'.

REQUIREMENT

Replaced the 'Legislative Address' procedure with a formal 'Legislative Impeachment' process that requires a three-fifths vote to initiate an investigation by a joint legislative committee.

ENFORCEMENT

Granted the joint investigative committee the power to subpoena witnesses and evidence, and allowed the process to pause if other disciplinary bodies are already investigating the same matter.

SCOPE

Clarified that the House of Representatives retains its own constitutional authority to impeach at any time, regardless of this specific bill's procedures.

SB479 Engrossed → SB479 Reengrossed · 3 edits · May 29, 2026

MINOR

The bill was reengrossed to correct several minor text errors, including fixing a typo in the chapter title, correcting a spelling error regarding judicial conduct standards, and updating the state's name to 'the United States' for grammatical consistency. These changes ensure the legislation is professionally accurate without altering its substantive legal effect.

TECHNICAL

Corrected the chapter title from 'ADDRESS' to 'ADDRESS' to match the full phrase 'REMOVAL OF PUBLIC OFFICIALS BY LEGISLATIVE ADDRESS'.

Fixed a spelling error in the definition of misconduct, changing 'cannons' to 'canons' of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Corrected a grammatical error by changing 'laws the United States' to 'laws of the United States'.

JUDGES: Provides for legislative address to the governor for the removal of certain judges for malfeasance, gross misconduct, or incompetence committed while in office. (See Act)

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