Pascal F. Calogero Jr. Politician
Pascal Frank Calogero, Jr. (born November 9, 1931), is the former Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court. He is a graduate of Loyola University New Orleans School of Law, where he was initiated into the Alpha Delta Gamma National Fraternity. He resides in New Orleans, LouisianaHe was first elected to the Court in 1972. He retired at the end of 2008. He had longest tenure of any Justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court.In 1995, it was disclosed that several Louisiana legislators and a New Orleans Mayor had sponsored Tulane University scholarships to three sons of Justice Calogero, including Pascal Calogero, III, over a period spanning from the mid-1970s to late in the 1980s. The awards were permitted under an 1881 state law. In a series of articles, the Times-Picayune had revealed that politicians in both parties were tapping either their own family members or relatives of political allies for the coveted awards. Among those helping the Calogero family obtain the scholarships were State Senators Joseph Tiemann of Jefferson Parish, Gaston Gerald of East Baton Rouge Parish, and Ben Bagert of Orleans Parish, as well as New Orleans Mayor Moon Landrieu.On October 3, 1998, Calogero faced opposition from Republican Charles Cusimano of Metairie, a former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives and then a state district court judge. Calogero led in the nonpartisan blanket primary with 77,766 votes (49.5 percent), and Cusimano polled 64,711 ballots (41.2 percent). A third candidate held the remaining 8 percent of the vote. Cusimano decided not to contest the general election, and Calogero held the seat by default.