Roy Brun
Encyclopedia
Roy Louis Brun is a First Judicial District state judge in Shreveport (Caddo Parish), who was a Republican
member of the Louisiana
state Louisiana House of Representatives
from 1988-1997. Brun was considered to have been one of the most outspoken conservative
members of the legislature during his nine years of service.
in Shreveport in 1970. He received his bachelor of arts
degree and a law degree from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge. He is a member of the Louisiana and Shreveport bar associations. He practiced law prior to and during his legislative career.
Brun is married to the former Kimberly Bourgeois (born 1962), and they have two children, including a son, Andrew Louis Brun (born 1985). Until he began his judicial service, he was a member of the Caddo Parish Republican Executive Committee and the Board of Election Supervisors. He was a member of the Caddo Parish Home Rule
Study Commission in 1982. He is a member of the Caddo-Bossier Association of Retarded Children. He is a past president of the Ark-La-Tex Gun Collectors. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club. The Bruns are members of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church in downtown Shreveport.
.
In 1976, at twenty-three and still in law school, Brun was one of the youngest delegates to the Republican National Convention
, which met in the Kemper Arena
in Kansas City
. Brun, like the majority of the Louisiana delegatees, was committed to the insurgent challenge of former California
Governor Ronald W. Reagan. When Reagan's intraparty rival, President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
, narrowly won the GOP
nomination, Brun with little enthusiasm at the time agreed to support the party ticket.
Louisiana's key Republican leader, then Congressman David C. Treen
of Jefferson Parish, supported Ford, though he had voted for Reagan at the 1968 convention held in Miami Beach. Treen had been unable to convince many of his fellow Louisiana delegates of the merits of a Ford nomination. Brun told the Shreveport Times, his hometown newspaper, after Ford's nomination that he would support the "dumb collectivist," meaning Ford, rather than the "smart collectivist," referring to Ford's Democratic
challenger, former Georgia
Governor James Earl Carter, Jr.
In 1978, Brun, head of the Republican ballot security program, reported alleged vote-buying in the 4rth Congressional District race between Republican James H. "Jimmy" Wilson of Vivian
in Caddo Parish and Democrat Anthony Claude "Buddy" Leach, Jr., of Leesville
in Vernon Parish. Leach defeated Wilson by 266 disputed votes in that race to succeed the retiring Democrat Joseph David "Joe D." Waggonner, Jr.
In 1979, Brun uncovered a problem with seals on voting machines in Opelousas
in St. Landry Parish during the gubernatorial election. The serial numbers on the seals did not correspond with the tallies on the seals when the polls closed the Saturday night of the election, in which the Republican Treen defeated the Democrat Louis Lambert
.
for O'Neal's District 5 seat in the Louisiana House. He was one of eight candidates, four from each major party. He ran second with 3,542 votes (20 percent) to Democrat Walter F. Clawson, who drew 4,128 ballots (23 percent). The majority actually voted for the combined six other candidates, none of whom exceeded 14 percent of the vote.
In the November 1987 general election
, Brun defeated Clawson, 5,547 votes (54 percent) to 4,656 (46 percent). Clawson gained only 500 votes between the primary and the general election, but Brun increased his raw vote by some 2,000 votes. Though his initial election margin was not overwhelming, no candidates opposed Brun when he sought reelection in the primaries of 1991 and 1995.
Brun worked with Democratic Representative Everett Doerge
of Minden
to repeal the Louisiana forced heirship law.
In 1996, as his legislative career was winding down, Brun argued for raising the Louisiana speed limit to 70.
In 1996, Brun was elected to a six-year term as a state district judge, and he was reelected in 2002 and 2008. He resigned his legislative seat in 1997. He was succeeded by a fellow Republican, Wayne Waddell
, who won a general election (often called the "runoff" in Louisiana) contest over another Republican, Judy Boykin, a member of the Caddo Parish School Board. Boykin was a visible leader of the "Religious Right" in Shreveport who was outspoken in support of school prayer and traditional values as well as opposition to abortion
, evolution
, and homosexual preferences.
The Caddo commission denied a zoning variance for construction of the truck stop after the residents objected. Brun overturned the commission’s decision in a lawsuit quietly filed by the owner of the land at the proposed site. Judge Brun declared that the commission decision was "arbitrary and capricious."
Mike Johnson, the attorney for the citizens objecting to the truck stop, said, "The commission’s finding was legitimate and based directly upon the testimony and evidence presented by the citizens. The commission understood that the proposed operation would be a detriment to the surrounding area and place the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of this community at risk."
Area residents gathered nearly 1,300 signatures to express their concerns about the truck stop. The zoning board of appeals board had approved the project by means of a special use zoning exception for the developer, Bob Horn. The commission the voted 7-5 to deny the zoning exception.
Unbeknown to the residents, a lawsuit was filed thereafter to challenge the commission’s decision. The residents first became aware of the lawsuit after Judge Brun ruled in the case on April 15, 2005. The commission voted not to appeal the ruling.
Opponents contended that a truck stop casino would imperil nearby neighborhoods, businesses, churches, and schools by decreasing property values, increasing noise levels, and placing at risk young drivers and schoolchildren who stand at bus stops and ride bicycles along south Youree Drive.
In 2006, the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that the Caddo Parish Commission was within its rights to override the zoning board decision that would have allowed the truck stop.
Attorney Mike Johnson said that "When lawmakers have to choose between protecting a casino and bar or protecting our children and the community, the latter should be given the priority."
The circuit court hence delivered a stinging rebuke to Judge Brun, who saw the matter as one of a legitimate business seeking to develop 5 acres (20,234.3 m²).
Approximately one year later the zoning request for a truckstop was again brought before the Caddo Parish Commission. The Commission approved the request this time and the truckstop services the trucks in the port area,selling 200K-300K gallons of fuel per month and proving itself a legitimate business.
The club raised privacy concerns to justify its policy and noted that men have dined in the Men's Grille "attired only in a towel or even naked." The area is located next to the men's locker room. Women could enter the grill only by first passing through the men's locker room.
But the Louisiana Supreme Court said that a "state of undress" was "patently contrary" to clubhouse rules requiring "casual but appropriate" attire in dining areas.
Brun had found in favor of the country club on the grounds that the men-only policy was motivated by economic reasons and was not intended as sexual discrimination, as the feminists had successful maintained.
suspect. Reginald Davis, was shot to death by Officer Kevin Strickland after a struggle. Brun cleared the city of Shreveport and Strickland of any negligence in the case. The officer had testified that a gun was found on Davis and that Davis attempted to use the weapon to shoot Strickland.
Brun's current term as judge expires on the last day of 2008.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
state Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
from 1988-1997. Brun was considered to have been one of the most outspoken conservative
Conservatism
Conservatism is a political and social philosophy that promotes the maintenance of traditional institutions and supports, at the most, minimal and gradual change in society. Some conservatives seek to preserve things as they are, emphasizing stability and continuity, while others oppose modernism...
members of the legislature during his nine years of service.
Early years and education
Brun was born in Shreveport to Edwin Louis Brun (born 1925) and the former Faye Hendrick (born 1927). He graduated from Fair Park High SchoolFair Park High School
Fair Park Medical Careers Magnet High School is a high school located at 3222 Greenwood Road in Shreveport, Louisiana, U.S.A. When it opened as Fair Park High School in 1928, it was the second high school in the city. C.E...
in Shreveport in 1970. He received his bachelor of arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree and a law degree from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge. He is a member of the Louisiana and Shreveport bar associations. He practiced law prior to and during his legislative career.
Brun is married to the former Kimberly Bourgeois (born 1962), and they have two children, including a son, Andrew Louis Brun (born 1985). Until he began his judicial service, he was a member of the Caddo Parish Republican Executive Committee and the Board of Election Supervisors. He was a member of the Caddo Parish Home Rule
Home rule
Home rule is the power of a constituent part of a state to exercise such of the state's powers of governance within its own administrative area that have been devolved to it by the central government....
Study Commission in 1982. He is a member of the Caddo-Bossier Association of Retarded Children. He is a past president of the Ark-La-Tex Gun Collectors. He is a member of the Kiwanis Club. The Bruns are members of the Holy Cross Episcopal Church in downtown Shreveport.
Early political activities
In 1975, at twenty-two, Brun ran unsuccessfully for the Louisiana State SenateLouisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
.
In 1976, at twenty-three and still in law school, Brun was one of the youngest delegates to the Republican National Convention
Republican National Convention
The Republican National Convention is the presidential nominating convention of the Republican Party of the United States. Convened by the Republican National Committee, the stated purpose of the convocation is to nominate an official candidate in an upcoming U.S...
, which met in the Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena
Kemper Arena is a 19,500 seat indoor arena, in Kansas City, Missouri.It is named for R. Crosby Kemper Sr., a member of the powerful Kemper financial clan and who donated $3.2 million, from his estate for the arena...
in Kansas City
Kansas City, Missouri
Kansas City, Missouri is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and is the anchor city of the Kansas City Metropolitan Area, the second largest metropolitan area in Missouri. It encompasses in parts of Jackson, Clay, Cass, and Platte counties...
. Brun, like the majority of the Louisiana delegatees, was committed to the insurgent challenge of former California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
Governor Ronald W. Reagan. When Reagan's intraparty rival, President Gerald R. Ford, Jr.
Gerald Ford
Gerald Rudolph "Jerry" Ford, Jr. was the 38th President of the United States, serving from 1974 to 1977, and the 40th Vice President of the United States serving from 1973 to 1974...
, narrowly won the GOP
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
nomination, Brun with little enthusiasm at the time agreed to support the party ticket.
Louisiana's key Republican leader, then Congressman David C. Treen
David C. Treen
David Conner "Dave" Treen, Sr. , was an American attorney and politician from Mandeville, St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana – the first Republican Governor of the U.S. state of Louisiana since Reconstruction. He was the first Republican in modern times to have served in the U.S...
of Jefferson Parish, supported Ford, though he had voted for Reagan at the 1968 convention held in Miami Beach. Treen had been unable to convince many of his fellow Louisiana delegates of the merits of a Ford nomination. Brun told the Shreveport Times, his hometown newspaper, after Ford's nomination that he would support the "dumb collectivist," meaning Ford, rather than the "smart collectivist," referring to Ford's Democratic
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
challenger, former Georgia
Georgia (U.S. state)
Georgia is a state located in the southeastern United States. It was established in 1732, the last of the original Thirteen Colonies. The state is named after King George II of Great Britain. Georgia was the fourth state to ratify the United States Constitution, on January 2, 1788...
Governor James Earl Carter, Jr.
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
In 1978, Brun, head of the Republican ballot security program, reported alleged vote-buying in the 4rth Congressional District race between Republican James H. "Jimmy" Wilson of Vivian
Vivian, Louisiana
Vivian, is a town in Caddo Parish, Louisiana, United States and is home to the Red Bud Festival. The population was 4,031 at the 2000 census...
in Caddo Parish and Democrat Anthony Claude "Buddy" Leach, Jr., of Leesville
Leesville, Louisiana
Leesville is a city in and the parish seat of Vernon Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,753 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Fort Polk South Micropolitan Statistical Area. The city is home to the Fort Polk U.S. Army installation...
in Vernon Parish. Leach defeated Wilson by 266 disputed votes in that race to succeed the retiring Democrat Joseph David "Joe D." Waggonner, Jr.
In 1979, Brun uncovered a problem with seals on voting machines in Opelousas
Opelousas, Louisiana
Opelousas is a city in and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies at the junction of Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190. The population was 22,860 at the 2000 census. Although the 2006 population estimate was 23,222, a 2004 annexation should put the city's...
in St. Landry Parish during the gubernatorial election. The serial numbers on the seals did not correspond with the tallies on the seals when the polls closed the Saturday night of the election, in which the Republican Treen defeated the Democrat Louis Lambert
Louis Lambert
Louis Joseph Lambert, Jr. , is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, former member and chairman of the Louisiana Public Service Commission, and a former Louisiana state senator....
.
The 1987 legislative election
Brun ran for the legislature when his political mentor, State Representative Benjamin F. "Ben" O'Neal, Jr., announced his retirement, effective in 1988. Brun therefore entered the October 1987 jungle primaryJungle primary
A nonpartisan blanket primary is a primary election in which all candidates for elected office run in the same primary regardless of political party. Under this system, the top two candidates who receive the most votes advance to the next round, as in a runoff election...
for O'Neal's District 5 seat in the Louisiana House. He was one of eight candidates, four from each major party. He ran second with 3,542 votes (20 percent) to Democrat Walter F. Clawson, who drew 4,128 ballots (23 percent). The majority actually voted for the combined six other candidates, none of whom exceeded 14 percent of the vote.
In the November 1987 general election
General election
In a parliamentary political system, a general election is an election in which all or most members of a given political body are chosen. The term is usually used to refer to elections held for a nation's primary legislative body, as distinguished from by-elections and local elections.The term...
, Brun defeated Clawson, 5,547 votes (54 percent) to 4,656 (46 percent). Clawson gained only 500 votes between the primary and the general election, but Brun increased his raw vote by some 2,000 votes. Though his initial election margin was not overwhelming, no candidates opposed Brun when he sought reelection in the primaries of 1991 and 1995.
Brun's legislative record
Representative Brun introduced legislation called the "Justifiable Murder of an AIDS Carrier" bill. The legislation, had it been approved, would have made the killing of an AIDS carrier fall under "justifiable homicide" if a person had to fight off an attacker that he knew was carrying the deadly virus or even believed that the assailant was infected by the virus.Brun worked with Democratic Representative Everett Doerge
Everett Doerge
Everett Gail Doerge was an American state legislator who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 10 from January 1992 until his death in office....
of Minden
Minden, Louisiana
Minden is a city in the American state of Louisiana. It serves as the parish seat of Webster Parish and is located twenty-eight miles east of Shreveport, the seat of Caddo Parish. The population, which has been stable since 1960, was 13,027 at the 2000 census...
to repeal the Louisiana forced heirship law.
In 1996, as his legislative career was winding down, Brun argued for raising the Louisiana speed limit to 70.
In 1996, Brun was elected to a six-year term as a state district judge, and he was reelected in 2002 and 2008. He resigned his legislative seat in 1997. He was succeeded by a fellow Republican, Wayne Waddell
Wayne Waddell
Wayne Leo Waddell is a Shreveport businessman and a Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 5 in Caddo Parish...
, who won a general election (often called the "runoff" in Louisiana) contest over another Republican, Judy Boykin, a member of the Caddo Parish School Board. Boykin was a visible leader of the "Religious Right" in Shreveport who was outspoken in support of school prayer and traditional values as well as opposition to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
, evolution
Evolution
Evolution is any change across successive generations in the heritable characteristics of biological populations. Evolutionary processes give rise to diversity at every level of biological organisation, including species, individual organisms and molecules such as DNA and proteins.Life on Earth...
, and homosexual preferences.
Judge Brun and the truck stop
Brun decided in the spring of 2005 that the Caddo Parish Commission, the governing body of the parish, had no grounds to block a permit for the construction of a 5 acres (20,234.3 m²) truck stop bar and casino on Louisiana Highway 1 South of Shreveport adjacent to the Port of Shreveport-Bossier. When citizen-opponents to the project mobilized, Brun allowed the group to appeal his ruling against them.The Caddo commission denied a zoning variance for construction of the truck stop after the residents objected. Brun overturned the commission’s decision in a lawsuit quietly filed by the owner of the land at the proposed site. Judge Brun declared that the commission decision was "arbitrary and capricious."
Mike Johnson, the attorney for the citizens objecting to the truck stop, said, "The commission’s finding was legitimate and based directly upon the testimony and evidence presented by the citizens. The commission understood that the proposed operation would be a detriment to the surrounding area and place the health, safety, morals, and general welfare of this community at risk."
Area residents gathered nearly 1,300 signatures to express their concerns about the truck stop. The zoning board of appeals board had approved the project by means of a special use zoning exception for the developer, Bob Horn. The commission the voted 7-5 to deny the zoning exception.
Unbeknown to the residents, a lawsuit was filed thereafter to challenge the commission’s decision. The residents first became aware of the lawsuit after Judge Brun ruled in the case on April 15, 2005. The commission voted not to appeal the ruling.
Opponents contended that a truck stop casino would imperil nearby neighborhoods, businesses, churches, and schools by decreasing property values, increasing noise levels, and placing at risk young drivers and schoolchildren who stand at bus stops and ride bicycles along south Youree Drive.
In 2006, the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal ruled that the Caddo Parish Commission was within its rights to override the zoning board decision that would have allowed the truck stop.
Attorney Mike Johnson said that "When lawmakers have to choose between protecting a casino and bar or protecting our children and the community, the latter should be given the priority."
The circuit court hence delivered a stinging rebuke to Judge Brun, who saw the matter as one of a legitimate business seeking to develop 5 acres (20,234.3 m²).
Approximately one year later the zoning request for a truckstop was again brought before the Caddo Parish Commission. The Commission approved the request this time and the truckstop services the trucks in the port area,selling 200K-300K gallons of fuel per month and proving itself a legitimate business.
Judge Brun and the feminists
In 2003, feminists challenged the existence of an all-male grill in the popular Southern Trace Country Club of Shreveport. They argued that the grill is a "public" facility under the law. Judge Brun, however, ruled that the men-only policy in the club's Men's Grille does not violate the state constitution.The club raised privacy concerns to justify its policy and noted that men have dined in the Men's Grille "attired only in a towel or even naked." The area is located next to the men's locker room. Women could enter the grill only by first passing through the men's locker room.
But the Louisiana Supreme Court said that a "state of undress" was "patently contrary" to clubhouse rules requiring "casual but appropriate" attire in dining areas.
Brun had found in favor of the country club on the grounds that the men-only policy was motivated by economic reasons and was not intended as sexual discrimination, as the feminists had successful maintained.
Judge Brun rules in favor of police
Brun ruled in a 1999 case in which a Shreveport police officer was charged with wrongful homicide and negligence in the shooting of a then 28-year-old African AmericanAfrican American
African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...
suspect. Reginald Davis, was shot to death by Officer Kevin Strickland after a struggle. Brun cleared the city of Shreveport and Strickland of any negligence in the case. The officer had testified that a gun was found on Davis and that Davis attempted to use the weapon to shoot Strickland.
Brun's current term as judge expires on the last day of 2008.