Judge Kelly balfour

Deputy Chief Judge (Civil)

Division i

civil section 23 & civil section 29

The Honorable Judge Balfour attended Louisiana State University and upon completion, worked at the Louisiana Legislature while attending graduate school.  He later graduated from LSU’s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 2001 and maintained a general trial practice representing both plaintiffs and defendants in a wide range of matters in both civil and criminal courts for close to 20 years.  He was active in the Louisiana Bar Association serving in the House of Delegates and as a member of the Nominating Committee.  Additionally, he was active in the Baton Rouge Bar Association and served on their Board of Directors.  He was the recipient of the 2008 Michaelle Pitard Wynne Professionalism Award given by the Louisiana State Bar Association.

Judge Balfour ran for an open seat on the 19th Judicial District Court in 2019 and was elected without opposition.  As a District Judge, Judge Balfour remains active in the Louisiana District Judges’ Association as the Legislative Liaison as well as serving on the Executive Board, currently as the Board Secretary.  He also works as an assistant grader of the Louisiana Bar Exam, is a guest lecturer at the LSU Law Center as well as a guest lecturer with the Louisiana Judicial College and numerous CLEs throughout the state. 

Judge Balfour is currently Deputy Chief Judge over the Civil Section of the 19th JDC and serves as the Deputy Presiding Judge for both the Recovery Court (formerly Drug Court) and the newly created Complex Litigation Section within the 19th JDC.  He is married and has three children and enjoys his role within the judiciary ensuring that fairness and justice are available to all.