Royce Duplessis is an American attorney and politician serving as a member of the
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees.
Composition
The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...
for the 5th district. He assumed office on December 6, 2022. On November 8, 2022, Duplessis defeated
Mandie Landry in a special election to fill the vacant 5th district seat.
Early life and education
Duplessis was born and raised in
. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in communications from the
Xavier University of Louisiana
Xavier University of Louisiana (also known as XULA) is a Private university, private, Historically black colleges and universities, historically black, Roman Catholic, Catholic university in New Orleans, Louisiana. It is the only Catholic HBCU ...
and a
Juris Doctor
The Juris Doctor (J.D. or JD), also known as Doctor of Jurisprudence (J.D., JD, D.Jur., or DJur), is a graduate-entry professional degree in law
and one of several Doctor of Law degrees. The J.D. is the standard degree obtained to practice law ...
from the
Howard University School of Law
Howard University School of Law (Howard Law or HUSL) is the law school of Howard University, a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is one of the oldest law schools in the country and the oldes ...
.
Career
Prior to his election to the State Senate, Duplessis served in the
Louisiana House of Representatives
The Louisiana House of Representatives (french: link=no, Chambre des Représentants de Louisiane) is the lower house in the Louisiana State Legislature, the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. This chamber is composed of 105 repr ...
representing the 93rd district. He assumed office in 2018 after winning a special election.
Prior to the 2018 election, Duplessis served as chief of staff to New Orleans City Councilman James Carter and special counsel to the
Louisiana Supreme Court
The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...
. Duplessis is the owner of a private law firm, Duplessis Law Firm, LLC, where he specializes in civil litigation cases. Duplessis announced his candidacy to fill the District 93 seat in a 2018 special election. Duplessis placed first in a field of four candidates.
A champion of criminal justice reform, Duplessis authored House Bill 678 in 2021, creating the Louisiana Work Opportunity Tax credit. The tax credit incentivizes businesses to hire re-entrants participating in work release programs.
Duplessis has also fought for many women's health and rights efforts, including authoring and passing House Bill 784, The Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders Act, to help deal with Louisiana’s maternal and infant mortality rates. The bill requires all hospitals and birthing centers to provide women with information about postpartum depression, its symptoms and treatment and other resources before discharge.
On June 9, 2022, Duplessis announced that he was running in the special election to succeed senator
Karen Carter Peterson
Karen Carter Peterson (born November 1, 1969) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a member of the Louisiana State House from 1999 to 2010, then as the state senator from the 5th district until her resignation in 2022. She ...
. On November 8, 2022, Duplessis was elected to fill the vacant fifth district seat in the
Louisiana State Senate
The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees.
Composition
The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...
. On December 6, 2022, Duplessis was sworn into the Louisiana State Senate.
Personal life
Duplessis lives the
Central City
In urban planning, a core city, principal city metropolitan core, or central city, is the largest or most important city or cities of a metropolitan area. A core city is surrounded by smaller satellite cities, towns, and suburbs. A central city i ...
neighborhood with his wife, Krystle, and their one daughter.
References
Living people
Politicians from New Orleans
Xavier University of Louisiana alumni
Howard University School of Law alumni
Louisiana lawyers
Democratic Party members of the Louisiana House of Representatives
Year of birth missing (living people)
21st-century American politicians
African-American Catholics
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