Juan Chastang facts for kids

Juan H. Chastang was born in 1961 or 1962 and is an American politician from Mobile County, Alabama. He is well-known because he was part of an important court case called Riley vs. Kennedy. This case was about how people are chosen for government jobs in Alabama. The highest court in the United States, the Supreme Court, made a decision on this case.

Becoming a Commissioner

In 2005, a person named Sam Jones was a County Commissioner for a long time. He was then chosen to be the Mayor of Mobile. This meant his old job as a County Commissioner was empty.

The Governor of Alabama, Bob Riley, chose Juan Chastang to fill this empty spot. Chastang is an African-American member of the Republican party. The area he would represent was mostly African-American and usually voted for the Democratic party.

This was a big moment because it was the first time since a period called Reconstruction that a Black Republican held an elected job in Mobile County.

Serving as County Commissioner

When Juan Chastang was appointed, some people were not happy. The Democratic Party in Mobile County and some Black political leaders spoke out. Three lawmakers who represented the same area, Yvonne Kennedy, James Buskey, and William Clark, went to court.

They said that the governor's choice of Chastang broke an old law from 1987. This law said that when a job in Mobile County becomes empty, there should be a special election to fill it. Their main argument was that the governor did not have the power to choose Chastang. So, they believed his appointment was not valid.

In 2007, some people questioned Chastang's use of public money. He used about $50,000 from a special fund for a concert. This discussion happened while the court case, Riley v. Kennedy, was still going on.

On May 1, 2007, a federal court made a decision. The court agreed with Kennedy, Buskey, and Clark. They said that Chastang's appointment was not valid.

After this decision, a special election was held. Merceria Ludgood, who was a political friend of Mayor Jones, ran against Chastang. Ludgood won the election by a very large number of votes. She then filled the empty commissioner job.

In May 2008, the highest court, the U.S. Supreme Court, looked at the case again. They decided that Governor Riley *did* have the right to appoint Chastang. An order was then given for Chastang to return to his job as commissioner.

Chastang went back to the commission and served for several months. However, he resigned in September 2008. In the elections held in November 2008, Merceria Ludgood was again elected to the commissioner seat.