Judge Scott Schlegel, an inductee into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame, was elected to the 24th Judicial District Court in 2013 and to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal in 2023. While serving on the trial court, he led a court modernization initiative widely recognized as one of the most advanced in the country for delivering justice online. He also established Jefferson Parish’s Reentry Court and Swift & Certain Probation programs to reduce recidivism and improve community safety.

He writes and speaks nationally on artificial intelligence, court modernization, and the future of the justice system, and is a co-founder of the Judicial AI Consortium, a network of state and federal judges across the country working through the practical challenges artificial intelligence presents for the courts.

Judge Schlegel chairs Louisiana’s Integrated Criminal Justice Information System Policy Board, chairs the Louisiana Supreme Court Uniform E-Filing Task Force, and serves on the National Center for State Courts Joint Technology Committee. He previously chaired the Louisiana Supreme Court Technology Commission, served as President of the Louisiana District Judges Association, and was a member of the American Bar Association and Louisiana State Bar Association task forces on artificial intelligence and the law.

He is the first Louisiana judge to receive the National Center for State Courts’ William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence. He was also featured on the cover of the ABA Journal after being named an ABA Legal Rebel.

Before taking the bench, Judge Schlegel was a felony prosecutor in the Jefferson Parish District Attorney’s Office and practiced civil law with an emphasis on products liability. He graduated with honors from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, where he served as President of the Student Bar Association.

Judge Schlegel has been married to Representative Laurie Schlegel for more than twenty-five years. They have one son, who is currently in college.