Jean-Paul Morrell

Jean-Paul Jude Morrell, also known as J. P. Morrell (born September 2, 1978),[1] is a lawyer from his native New Orleans, Louisiana, and is a Democratic politician and a former member of the Louisiana State Senate for District 3 in Orleans Parish.

Jean-Paul Jude "J. P." Morrell
Louisiana State Senator for District 3 (Orleans Parish)
In office 2009–2020
Preceded by	Derrick Shepherd
Succeeded by	Joseph Bouie Jr.
Louisiana State Representative for District 97 (Orleans Parish)
In office 2006–2008
Preceded by	Arthur Morrell
Succeeded by	Jared Brossett
Personal details
Born	(1978-09-02) September 2, 1978 New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Political party	Democratic
Spouse(s)	Catherine Morrell
Children	Jude, Fiona, and Alexander Morrell
Parents	Arthur Morrell Cynthia Hedge-Morrell
Residence	New Orleans, Louisiana
Alma mater	Spring Hill College Tulane University School of Law
Occupation	Lawyer

Background

Morrell is the third of four sons of Arthur Anthony Morrell, the Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court since 2006, and Cynthia Hedge-Morrell, the District D member of the New Orleans City Council from 2005 to 2014. He received his undergraduate education from the Roman Catholic-affiliated Spring Hill College in Mobile, Alabama, and his legal credentials from Tulane University School of Law in New Orleans.[2]

Morrell and his father operate the law firm Morrell & Morrell, LLC. Jean-Paul Morrell specializes in the fields of criminal defense, plaintiff personal injury, and domestic relations. He is a former part-time member of the Orleans Parish Indigent Defender Program. His older brother, Todd, and younger brother, Nicholas, are officers of the New Orleans Police Department.[2]

Morrell and his wife, Catherine, have a son, Jude (named for his father's middle name), and a daughter, Fiona.[2] He has also resided in Baton Rouge, Prairieville in Ascension Parish, and Jacksonville and Tallahassee, Florida. He is African-American.

Political life

When Arthur Morrell was elected clerk of the New Orleans Criminal Court, he resigned his seat in the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 97,[3] and Jean-Paul Morrell won a special election to complete his father's term. In the first round of balloting, Democrat Brian Patrick Egana (born May 1978), led the three-candidate field with 1,026 votes (44.1 percent). Morrell trailed with 978 votes (42 percent). Republican Gary Clark held the remaining 324 votes (13.9 percent).[4] In the second round of balloting, Morrell defeated Egana, 2,783 (51.4 percent) to 2,636 (48.6 percent).[5]

On December 6, 2008, Representative Jean-Paul Morrell won another special election to succeed Senator Derrick Shepherd, also a former state representative, who resigned the position. Morrell polled 5,477 votes (54.6 percent) to 4,558 (45.4 percent) for another Democrat, Shawn Marcell Barney (born September 1974) of New Orleans.[6] In 2011, he won his first full term in the Senate by defeating still another Democrat, Cynthia Willard-Lewis, who has served in both houses of the legislature and on the city council. Morrell polled 11,280 votes (53.3 percent) to Willard-Lewis's 9,911 (46.8 percent).[7]

Morrell is a member of the Louisiana Black Caucus and the Democratic Caucus. He serves as chairman of the Senate Judiciary B Committee and serves as well on the Education, Revenue and Fiscal Affairs, and the Governmental Affairs committees.[8]

Senator Morrell has been scored from 21 to 62 percent by the Louisiana Association of Business and Industry and 20 to 50 percent by the National Federation of Independent Business. He received an 83 percent rating from the Louisiana Association of Educators. He scored 29 to 60 percent from the conservative Louisiana Family Forum and 33 to 75 percent from Right to Life. He did not vote in 2014 on the requirement that abortion providers maintain hospital admitting privileges near their clinics.[9]

He voted in 2014 to prohibit the transportation of dogs in the beds of pick-up trucks on interstate highways. In 2013, Morrell voted to reduce penalties for possession of marijuana. He not vote on the pay increase for state judges. He opposed lifetime concealed carry gun permits and voted to make information on the permits a matter of public record. In 2012, he voted against reducing the number of hours that polling places remain open; the state has traditionally maintained 14-hour polling days. He opposed term limits for school board members. He supported tax incentives to recruit a National Basketball Association team to Louisiana. I 2011, he voted for a permanent tax on cigarettes and opposed drug testing of welfare recipients.[9]

Morrell's District 3 spans parts of St. Bernard, Orleans, and Jefferson parishes.[10]

Senate President John Alario in 2016 appointed Morrell chairman of the pivotal Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committee.[11]

Standing Committees

• Chairman, Senate Revenue & Fiscal Affairs
• Senate Education
• Senate & Governmental Affairs
• Joint Legislative Committee on Capitol Outlay

Non-Standing Committees

• Chairman of the Entertainment Industry Development Advisory Commission
• Chairman of the Orleans Justice and Rehabilitation Reform Commission
• Chairman Pre-trial Services Commission
• Select Committee on Hurricane Recovery
• Law Enforcement Management District of Orleans Parish
• Select Committee on Oversight of the Gulf Coast Claims Facility

References

1. "Jean-Paul Morrell, September 1978". Louisiana Secretary of State. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
2. "Senator Jean-Paul "JP" Morrell (District 3) Biography". senate.la.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
3. "Louisiana House of Representatives Historical Membership: Orleans Parish" (PDF). legis.la.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
4. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. September 30, 2006. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
5. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. November 7, 2006. Retrieved April 25, 2015.
6. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. December 6, 2008. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
7. "Election Results". Louisiana Secretary of State. October 22, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
8. "Morrell Committee Assignments". senate.la.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
9. "Jean-Paul Morrell's Political Summary". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
10. "JP Morrell". jpmorrell.com. Retrieved 2016-01-08.
11. Greg Hilburn (January 13, 2016). "Senate Labor chair won't support minimum wage increase". The Monroe News-Star. Retrieved January 16, 2016.

Preceded by Arthur Morrell	Louisiana State Representative for District 97 (Orleans Parish) Jean-Paul Jude "J. P." Morrell 2006–2009	Succeeded by Jared Brossett
Preceded by Derrick Shepherd	Louisiana State Representative for District 3 (Orleans Parish) Jean-Paul Jude "J. P." Morrell 2009–2020	Succeeded by Joseph Bouie Jr.