Wilson Fields wins District Division O judge seat over Sonceree Smith-Clark

Former Southern University Student Government Association president, Wilson Fields swept the polls on Saturday, October 20, 2001 to win the 19th Judicial District Division O judgeship.
According to complete but unofficial results from the Louisiana Secretary of State’s Office, Fields won the election with 3,425 votes, or 51 percent.
Fields will take office in January 2002.
Sonceree Smith Clark finished second with 3,626 votes, or 29 percent.
Joel Porter, the only republican in the race, followed Clark with 1,751 votes or 14 percent.
Dele Adebamiji with 523 votes, or 4 percent and Lesia Batiste with 278 votes, or 2 percent finished fourth and fifth in Saturday’s election.
At his victory party, Fields thanked God, his family and friends for supporting him throughout his campaign.
Porter, 44, the only Republican in the race, vowed to run for the seat next year.
The division O judgeship will add a 15th seat to the state District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish. Section I, a majority black district will be a criminal seat.
Fields’ term will last for one year, then the seat will come up for election again to put it in the same election cycle at the other state District Court seats.
Fields credits his experience as to why he will make a good judge by the positions he has held as an attorney, vice chairman of the Louisiana Senate Judiciary C Committee, and an adjunct law professor.
Other candidates also marketed their qualifications and experiences throughout the campaign.
Adebamiji, 43, practiced law since 1992.
The Nigerian native worked at Capital Area Legal Services for three years providing representation for the poor.
Batiste, 40, has been practicing for over 12 years.
A native of Illinois, Batiste resigned as an attorney with the State Department of Transportation and Development to run for the judgeship.
Clark, a 37 -year old Baton Rouge native, worked for the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office and a prosecutor in East Baton Rouge Parish. She has tried more than 100 jury trials.
Clark pumped over $100,000 of her own money into her campaign. Unlike some candidates, she used billboards and television commercials in her bid for the district judge seat.
Fields received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Management from Southern University and is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Incorporated. He received in Doctoral Degree in May 1994 from the Law Center.
At age 23, Fields was the youngest ever to serve on the Baton Rouge City Council. In 1995 he was elected to the Louisiana State Senate, representing District 15. He is currently the youngest senator serving in the Louisiana Legislature.