Courtesy of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Third Judicial District Court Judge Bruce Hampton has been elected to serve as Chair of the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana for the 2025-26 term.
In accordance with the Louisiana Constitution, Judge Hampton was appointed to the Commission by the Louisiana Supreme Court and was elected by Commission members to serve as Chair for a one-year term, succeeding Suzanne H. Stinson.
Judge Hampton earned his bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from Louisiana Tech University in 1978 and was named Outstanding Finance Student. He earned his Juris Doctor degree, magna cum laude, from Tulane University School of Law in 1981 and his Master of Laws degree from Southern Methodist University in 1990. He is a member of the Order of the Coif. Judge Hampton brings over four decades of legal experience across Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi.
He has served as an assistant district attorney, an indigent defender, and an active member of numerous judicial and civic organizations. Judge Hampton is a member of the American Judges Association and the Louisiana District Judges Association (currently serving as Secretary), was appointed to the Executive Board of the District Judges Association in 2021 and is a member of the Louisiana State Law Institute. Most recently, Judge Hampton was recognized with the 2025 Judge Benjamin Jones Judges in the Classroom Award and serves on the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Judges in the Classroom/Students in the Courtroom Task Force.
Third Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Sharon D. Wilson was elected as Vice-Chair.
In addition to these leadership roles, the Commission welcomes several new appointments as the Commission expands from nine volunteer members to fourteen, in accordance with La. Const. Article 5, Section 25, which was amended earlier this year.
These new appointments include attorney Chester Cedars of St. Martin Parish, attorney Michael McGlone of Jefferson Parish, attorney John Sinquefield of East Baton Rouge Parish, Retired Justice Chet D. Traylor of Ouachita Parish, and Retired Judge Robert Wyatt of Calcasieu Parish. In addition, attorney D. Brennan Hussey of Caddo Parish and Dr. Shondra G. Williams of Jefferson Parish have been appointed to replace outgoing members.
Judge Wilson is currently serving a second term on the Commission, having first been appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court. She was then elected by Commission members as Vice-Chair for a one-year term, succeeding Judge Bruce Hampton. Judge Wilson has served as a judge of the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, since 2020. Before her election to the Court of Appeal, she served as a judge of the 14th Judicial District Court in Calcasieu Parish, where she co-founded the Veterans Treatment Court and later became Chief Judge. Judge Wilson previously worked as an assistant district attorney at the Calcasieu Parish District Attorney’s Office, as a chief felony prosecutor at the Allen Parish District Attorney’s Office, and in private practice.
She is the first African American woman elected District Judge in Calcasieu Parish. She has served as an Executive Board Member for the Louisiana District Judges Association, as a district judge-member of the Judiciary Commission from 2019 to 2020, and is currently serving a four-year term as an appellate judge member of the Judiciary Commission. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1988 and her Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1991.
Selected to serve on the Judiciary Commission by the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives, Cedars is Chief Legal Counsel for the St. Martin Parish Sheriff’s Office. He has over 48 years of experience in the general practice of law.
McGlone was appointed to the Judiciary Commission by the President of the Louisiana Senate. He attended Loyola University New Orleans and earned a bachelor’s degree in 1972. He also obtained a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1975.
Selected to serve on the Judiciary Commission by Governor Jeff Landry, Sinquefield is Executive Counsel to Attorney General Liz Murrill. Mr. Sinquefield received his bachelor’s degree from Northeast Louisiana State College in 1968. He earned his Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1971.
Justice Traylor (retired) was appointed to the Judiciary Commission by the President of the Louisiana Senate. Retired Justice Traylor earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1969 and a Juris Doctor degree from Loyola University School of Law in 1974.
Judge Wyatt (retired) was appointed to the Judiciary Commission by the Speaker of the Louisiana House of Representatives. Judge Wyatt received a bachelor’s degree from the University of Southwestern Louisiana in 1978 and a Juris Doctor degree from Louisiana State University Law School in 1981.
Selected to serve on the Judiciary Commission by the Conference of Court of Appeal Judges, Hussey is a partner in the law firm Casten & Pearce, APLC, in Shreveport. Mr. Hussey received his bachelor’s degree from the University of North Carolina in 1984 and his Juris Doctor degree from Tulane University Law School in 1987.
Dr. Williams was appointed to the Judiciary Commission by the Louisiana District Judges Association. She earned a master’s from Loyola University New Orleans in 2001 and a doctorate in nursing from Southern University in 2009.
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About the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana:
The Judiciary Commission of Louisiana is a fourteen-member, constitutionally created body that assists the Louisiana Supreme Court in matters of judicial discipline. The Commission investigates complaints of judicial misconduct and recommends disciplinary actions when warranted. Members are selected by the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Louisiana District Judges Association, the Conference of Court of Appeal Judges, the President of the Senate, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, and the Governor. More information can be found on the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana website at https://judiciarycommissionla.org/
