Term Ends: 2026
Party: R
Bernard Scott Leehy (born 1962) is a judge of the Louisiana Fourth Judicial District Court bench in Ouachita and Morehouse parishes. He was sworn into office on December 27, 2006. Leehy had been the Monroe City Court judge since 1997. A Republican, he defeated the Democrat Jay Mitchell in the September 30, 2006, nonpartisan blanket primary for the seat being vacated by the retiring Judge Jimmy Dimos. Leehy polled 15,494 votes (56 percent) to Mitchell’s 12,121 ballots (44 percent).Leehy attributed his victory to “a lot of hard work. A lot of people poured blood, sweat, and tears into this campaign.” The unexpired term runs through December 31, 2008. Leehy was unopposed for a full term as judge in the 2008 elections.
Leehy won the election to the Division B city judgeship on September 21, 1996. He defeated a fellow Republican, George Carso, 6,127 (56 percent) to 4,736 (44 percent). He was reelected in 2002 without opposition. From 1990-1997, Leehy worked for the district attorney’s office. A special election was held on March 31, 2007, to fill the remainder of Leehy’s term as city judge.
An Ouachita Parish native, Leehy holds the “Distinguished Alumni Award” from his alma mater, West Monroe High School. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe, then known as “Northeast Louisiana University”. He graduated from the Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, Mississippi. Judge Leehy and his wife, Charlynn, married in 1986. They have two children, Nicholas (born 1992) and Michael (born 1996). They are members of Jesus the Good Shepherd Catholic Church, where he is a trustee. He is a member of the Judicial Council of the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Louisiana Bar Association. He is secretary of the Louisiana City Court Judges Association. Leehy is also a volunteer for the Salvation Army and a member of Rotary International.