Great news out of Louisiana—on Saturday, voters elected former appellate judge James Stewart in the run-off election for Caddo Parish district attorney. Stewart, a Democrat, beat Republican Dhu Thompson, to become the Parish's first black DA. (It was a good day overall in the state—a Democrat also won the governor’s race.)
I wrote last week about the DA's office in Caddo Parish and the horrors that have occurred there. The race was less about partisan politics and more about the possibility of criminal justice reform in the office. Thompson is part of the old guard and has been an ADA in that office for years. Stewart is coming from the outside. With him in charge, change seems to be a more possible goal.
It was expected that he would win the black vote and the votes of white Democrats. Stewart won with 55 percent of the vote. He may have won with an even higher margin, had it not been for the brouhaha over what the Shreveport Times called "The unseen presence of billionaire George Soros."
Soros gave hundreds of thousands to the Louisiana Safety and Justice PAC in Bossier City which produced videos supporting Stewart. The super PAC also paid for media buys, production, election polling, consulting and field research. Soros' most recent donation of $65,000 was given on Nov. 17 bringing his total contributions to $916,000. Stewart denied receiving money from the super PAC.
Soros notwithstanding, Stewart will now be the next DA of a place that was previously infamous for racism, prosecuting the innocent, and their rampant death penalty convictions. This election puts us one step closer to a truly just system. “I got in this race because I really thought the DA’s office needed new leadership. We are going to bring professionalism and ethics back to the district attorney’s office," Stewart said.
But the fight does not end here. Residents and advocates must keep their eye on Stewart and his office to ensure that they do not repeat history's mistakes. There is no justice without accountability. Keep a close watch on Caddo Parish.
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