Louisiana appeals court: Felon mayor not permitted to take office

The man who was elected mayor of the small Louisiana town of Ball has lost another round in his effort to move into the office, stymied by recent passage of a constitutional restriction on felons in elected jobs.

A three-judge Louisiana appeals court panel late Thursday upheld a state district judge's decision that Democrat Roy Hebron cannot be seated as Ball's mayor.

Hebron overwhelmingly won the election to lead the town of 4,000 in central Louisiana, ousting previous Republican Mayor Neil Kavanagh with 56 percent of the vote in a three-man race.

But on the same November ballot as Hebron's election, voters statewide passed a constitutional amendment requiring felons to wait five years after their sentences before seeking office.

Read more: https://www.theadvocate.com/baton_rouge/news/politics/article_df766fbe-20c0-11e9-9c05-b334756712d1.html