Democrat Caulette "Twin" Jackson-Guillard beat out Republican Joseph Cataldie for the Baton Rouge Family Court's empty judge seat.
Both are family attorneys with more than 15 years of experience. In their campaigning, both also said that personal experience with family court, on both sides of the bench, motivated them to run.
At the end of Saturday's voting, Jackson-Guillard won with 51% of the vote compared to Cataldie's 49%.
"I experienced dysfunction growing up," Jackson-Guillard said. "I know what it feels like when families struggle, when stability is uncertain, and when children are caught in the middle. That experience didn’t break me, it shaped me. It gave me purpose."
Jackson-Guillard has 20 years of experience practicing family law, and says she's wanted to do this kind of work since she was 10 years old.
"I also believe in encouraging early resolution when appropriate, through mediation that's available on the fourth floor every Tuesday and problem-solving, so families can avoid prolonged conflict," Jackson-Guillard said, "especially when children are involved."
Jackson-Guillard ran for another family court judge seat in 2023, losing to Judge Kyle Russ.
This year, her campaign raised more than $24,000, mostly from individual donors including other local attorneys.
Cataldie's contributions totaled almost $56,000, again mostly from individuals and attorneys' offices. Cataldie said he was also proud of his endorsements from the Baton Rouge police and fire unions.
In addition to being a staff attorney for a family court judge and representing families with the Prendergast Law Firm, Cataldie said he's a single dad and co-parent to his daughter.