Jeff R. Thompson

Jefferson Rowe Thompson, known as Jeff R. Thompson (born March 10, 1965), is a judge of the Louisiana 26th Judicial District Court for Bossier and Webster parishes, who is a Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 8, a position which he held from January 2012 to January 2015.

A resident of Bossier City, Thompson ran without opposition in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on November 4, 2014, to succeed the retiring Division B Judge Ford E. Stinson, Jr., a Democrat, on the 26th District Court.^[1][2] His judicial colleagues are Mike Nerren, Jeff Cox, Charles Jacobs, Parker Self, and Michael O. Craig.

Background

A native of Alexandria in Rapides Parish in Central Louisiana, Thompson obtained degrees in real estate and insurance from the University of Louisiana at Monroe (1988) and the Juris Doctor from Tulane University Law School in New Orleans (1995). He was affiliated with Phi Kappa Alpha fraternity. While living in Monroe, he was from 1989 to 1992 the ULM (then Northeast Louisiana University) Associate Director of Development. He was also a reserve officer with the Monroe Police Department and an insurance agent for Troy & Nichols Mortgage Company. He relocated to Bossier City to engage in the practice of law and is active in the bar association. He is a member of the large First Baptist Church of Bossier City. He is affiliated with the National Rifle Association and is a district director of the Norwela Council of the Boy Scouts of America. In 2004, he was the president of the Bossier Chamber of Commerce.^[3]

Political life

Thompson was elected to the House in 2011, when the term-limited incumbent, fellow Republican Jane H. Smith of Bossier City, ran instead, unsuccessfully, for the Louisiana State Senate. Thompson defeated fellow Republican, Duke Lowrie, 4,991 (56.8 percent) to 3,803 (43.3 percent).^[4] Smith, meanwhile, was defeated by the Republican businessman Barrow Peacock of Shreveport for the Senate seat vacated by B. L. "Buddy" Shaw.

In 2008, Thompson was an unsuccessful candidate for the United States House of Representatives from Louisiana's 4th congressional district. The seat opened when the incumbent Jim McCrery stepped down to become a lobbyist. Thompson finished in third place in the primary. The position went to the Republican physician and businessman John C. Fleming of Minden, who still holds the seat.

In the spring of 2012, Representative Thompson worked to kill an anti-bullying bill sponsored by Patricia Smith, a Democrat from Baton Rouge. Conservative opponents of the bill claimed the measure is at odds with freedom of speech rulings by the United States Supreme Court. Thompson offered an amendment, which removed those sections of the bill that specify prohibitions against bullying in regard to sexual orientation, disabilities, and race. Smith said that the Thompson amendment effectively killed the focus of the legislation, and she withdrew it from further consideration.^[5]

Representative Thompson served on the House Education, Homeland Security, Ways and Means, and Military and Veterans Affairs committees. He also sits on the Joint House and Senate Committee on Homeland Security.^[3]

Duke Lowrie, Thompson's former intraparty rival, was elected in 2012 to the District 8 seat on the Louisiana Republican State Central Committee. He defeated Martin Grau, 77 to 23 percent.^[6]

Thompson and his wife, the former Toni Estelle Hurst, reside in Benton, the Bossier Parish parish seat, where the 26th Judicial District Court convenes. The couple has two children, Lillie and Rowe Thompson.^[3]

Mike Johnson, a Republican lawyer from Benton, was unopposed in the special election held in February 2015 to choose Thompson's successor in the House.

References