Judge Scott Schlegel, an inductee into the Louisiana Justice Hall of Fame, was elected to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal in 2023 after a decade of service on the trial court. During his tenure as a district court judge, he designed and led a nationally recognized court‑modernization initiative that has been described as “one of the most advanced in the country” for delivering justice online.

Judge Schlegel serves on the American Bar Association and Louisiana State Bar Association Task Forces on the Law and Artificial Intelligence, as well as the National Center for State Courts Joint Technology Commission. He previously chaired the Louisiana Supreme Court Technology Commission and served as President of the Louisiana District Judges Association. His leadership has been recognized with numerous honors, including the National Center for State Courts’ William H. Rehnquist Award for Judicial Excellence. He has also been featured on the cover of the ABA Journal and is widely regarded as a national voice on legal technology and the modernization of the justice system.

In Jefferson Parish, Judge Schlegel established the Reentry Court and Swift & Certain Probation programs to help reduce recidivism and improve community safety. He currently chairs the Integrated Criminal Justice Information System Policy Board, a statewide initiative to modernize criminal justice data and information‑sharing.

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

Judge Schlegel has been married to Representative Laurie Schlegel for more than 25 years, and they have one son in college.