A lawsuit over a campaign ad has put the race for an open Division A judgeship on Jefferson Parish's 1st Parish Court before a judge. Republicans Sal Brocato and Michael Marsiglia are seeking the seat on a court that handles misdemeanor, traffic and DUI cases. Brocato sued Marsiglia over an ad about Brocato's past professional ties to disbarred attorney Sean Alfortish, who was convicted in the staged-wrecks fraud case.
The ad focused on Brocato's earlier work with Alfortish. NOLA.com reported that Marsiglia's 30-second spot said the men shared letterhead and clients and accused Brocato of concealing part of his resume. Brocato's campaign sued, saying the ad misled voters. NOLA.com reported that Alfortish, a disbarred attorney, was convicted in the staged-wrecks case.
What the Judge Found — And What She Didn't
State Judge Danyelle Taylor ordered Marsiglia to stop airing the ad last Friday. NOLA.com reported that Taylor found no evidence Brocato intentionally lied about his resume and that Marsiglia's campaign had not established a basis for that accusation. She also questioned why Marsiglia's lawyers had not presented evidence of Alfortish's fraud convictions from 2012 or this year. The ruling did not settle every campaign claim: Taylor noted Brocato continued his private practice while taking cases with Alfortish, and Brocato acknowledged in court that his own ad incorrectly said Marsiglia had been approved by the Louisiana Supreme Court as a traffic hearing officer.
Brocato has characterized his work with Alfortish as part-time clerking and independent-contractor work on cases where they served as co-counsel during his first year as an attorney. In court, he said Alfortish was then a Kenner magistrate judge in good standing and that their professional association ended more than two decades ago. Brocato's campaign dates the work to 1999 through 2001 and says he had not discussed it on the campaign trail before Marsiglia's ad raised the issue.
Marsiglia Appeals, Posts Old Case Files
Marsiglia's campaign appealed Taylor's ruling to the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal on Saturday, October 31, 2026, saying it disagreed with the judgment and would seek immediate review while complying with court orders. NOLA.com reported that the appeal is being handled by Scott Sternberg, a First Amendment lawyer who also represents The Advocate and The Times-Picayune. The campaign also posted legal documents dated from late 1999 through early 2001 listing Brocato and Alfortish as co-counsel in cases involving several defendants and plaintiffs. Marsiglia has cited the documents to dispute Brocato's account of their work history.
A separate Louisiana campaign-ad dispute
Louisiana appellate courts have addressed disputes connected to judicial campaign ads, though not every case concerns whether an ad can air. The Advertiser reported that in 2019 the Third Circuit ordered Judge Marilyn Castle, of the Lafayette-based 15th judicial district, recused from a case after her 2016 campaign ad named attorneys, citing the probability of actual bias. That was a recusal ruling, not an order to stop a candidate's ad.
The Staged-Wrecks Case Looming Over the Race
The ad dispute has drawn attention to the federal staged-wrecks case. NOLA.com reported that a New Orleans federal jury convicted Alfortish of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and two counts of mail fraud, but deadlocked on murder-conspiracy charges connected to the killing of FBI informant Cornelius Garrison III, resulting in a mistrial on those counts. Prosecutors described a scheme in which passengers, drivers and personal injury lawyers staged collisions with 18-wheelers on New Orleans highways to generate fraudulent injury claims. Alfortish and codefendant Leon “Chunky” Parker were remanded to jail pending retrials and sentencings.
At the trial, an FBI agent testified that Garrison secretly recorded calls and an in-person meeting with Alfortish, and that Alfortish offered to move him to the Bahamas and pay him $500,000, according to WDSU.
A Contest Between Two Familiar Courthouse Faces
The candidates have both practiced for years in the First Parish Court building and are running as Republicans for the same open seat, WDSU reported. The court handles misdemeanor, traffic and DUI cases on Jefferson Parish's east bank, as well as lawsuits up to $50,000. Brocato and Marsiglia also appeared together at WDSU's Hot Seat debate during the campaign.
What the Court Handles
The Jefferson Parish Clerk of Court lists first- and second-offense driving while intoxicated cases among First Parish Court's responsibilities. Its description does not give an annual caseload total, so it does not establish how many cases the court handles each year.
The judicial race is on a Tuesday ballot that also includes contested U.S. Senate and House contests, NOLA.com reported. Alfortish still faces another trial next year on the murder-conspiracy counts tied to the FBI witness's killing; the case also prompted a podcast released the same week the campaign dispute became public. Voters will decide the race as the ad's claims, the court's order and the candidates' accounts of their professional history remain in the public debate.
