Judge rules in favor of candidates duo

• By DEBRA LEMOINE
• Advocate Florida parishes bureau
• Published: Jul 22, 2008 - UPDATED: 12:05 a.m.

• Print
• Email
• Save
• Reprints
• Twitter
• Share

• Del.icio.us
• Digg
• Facebook
• Reddit
• 

HAMMOND — Life partners Vanessa Williams and Michael Jackson prevailed in separate legal challenges to their qualification for the elected offices they seek this fall, according to court judgments filed Monday in Livingston and Amite.

State District Judge Brenda Bedsole Ricks filed written decisions Monday morning in both cases after presiding over back-to-back hearings Saturday for the challenges in the 21st Judicial District Court, first in Livingston and then in Amite.

The 21st Judicial District Court serves Livingston, Tangipahoa and St. Helena parishes.

Williams, 37, a Hammond attorney, is running for 21st Judicial district attorney.

Jackson, 39, a former professional football player and owner of a nightclub in Tangipahoa, is running for mayor of the village.

Williams said Monday she and Jackson are pleased with the judge’s decisions in both cases.

“I’m very happy with the outcome and I look forward to my campaign,” she said.

Lawson King, of Denham Springs, filed a challenge Friday to Williams’ bid for district attorney, alleging she did not hold a Louisiana law license for the required five years and resided outside the judicial district because her partner owns a home in Covington, where her children attend school.

Ricks wrote in her reasons for judgment that Williams’ five-year anniversary date is Oct. 10, which is after the Oct. 4 primary but before the Nov. 4 general election, which means she would meet the law license requirement.

As for the residency requirement, Ricks wrote that a person can legally maintain two residences, and Williams has a Tangipahoa Parish residence, also owned by Jackson.

In the other challenge filed Friday, Darrell Martin, a candidate for Tangipahoa mayor, alleged Jackson is not domiciled in Tangipahoa because he owns a home in Covington and filed for homestead exemption for that home.

Jackson, however, also filed for homestead exemption for his home in Tangipahoa and is registered to vote there. Jackson testified Saturday he was unaware he had a homestead exemption for his Covington home.

Ricks wrote that a mayoral candidate can have two residences, but he must actually live in the one inside the Tangipahoa municipal limits in order to run for office in the village. She cited a Louisiana Supreme Court decision in Russell v. Goldsby, a suit in 2000 over an Amite mayoral candidate having two homes,