A razor-thin margin decided who would be the next Orleans Parish criminal district judge for Section A.
Simone Levine will serve in that capacity after edging out fellow Democrat Leon Roché in Saturday’s runoff for the seat. With 99 percent of votes counted, Levine holds an 837-vote lead. According to returns reported by the Secretary of State’s Office, Levine has 18,270 votes (51.1 percent) to Roché’s 17,433 votes (48.9 percent).
Levine will succeed Judge Laurie White, who announced in November that she would retire at the end of her current term after more than 15 years in office.