Julie Quinn
Encyclopedia
Julie Ann Unangst Quinn (born October 26, 1966) is an attorney from Metairie
, Louisiana
, who is a Republican
member of the Louisiana State Senate
. Quinn's District 6 includes parts of Orleans (a portion of Uptown
), Jefferson
, St.Tammany
, and Tangipahoa
parishes.
Quinn initially won the seat in a special election runoff held in July 2005 against fellow Republican Diane Winston
of Covington
, then a state representative
. Eliminated in the first round of balloting was freshman State Representative John LaBruzzo
, also of Jefferson Parish. The position became suddenly available by the death of veteran Republican lawmaker John Hainkel
.
in Mercer County
in northwestern Pennsylvania
, and the former Shirley Ann Lineman (born ca. 1948). She has two brothers, attorney Bruce Unangst, II, of Gonzales
, Louisiana, in Ascension Parish
, and Christopher Martin Unangst. Her father, the first president of the combined parish and municipal government in St. Tammany Parish, is a real estate agent and banker in Covington. Quinn’s mother also had political aspirations and unsuccessfully sought the District 76 seat in St. Tammany Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives
in a four-candidate all-Republican field in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 19, 1991. In the second round of balloting, the incumbent Edward C. Scogin
of Slidell
was unseated by Suzanne Mayfield Krieger
.
Quinn was reared in St. Tammany Parish. She graduated in 1989 from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge
with a Bachelor of Arts
degree in broadcast journalism
. In 1992, she earned her Juris Doctor
degree from Loyola University
in New Orleans, where she graduated on Law Review and Moot Court, and was twice named a teaching assistant in legal research and writing. In 1996, Quinn married businessman Francis Patrick Quinn, owner of the Decatur hotel chain. Although seven months pregnant with his second child in 2001, Quinn ran for and won a special election to the Jefferson Parish School Board. From that berth she declared her support for fiscal responsibility and worked to establish the first magnet school
in Jefferson Parish.
To seek the Senate seat in 2005, Quinn resigned from the Jefferson Parish School Board. She was elected and sworn in in August, 2005, just 3 weeks before Hurricane Katrina. Between 2005 and 2006, Quinn and her husband divorced under the scrutiny of the media.
Quinn was thereafter elected to a full term in the Senate seat in the primary held on October 20, 2007.
Committee, a position through which she became an advocate for property insurance reform, she worked to require insurance companies to pay the claims to homeowners in the wake of Katrina. After her first legislative session, she was named "Senator of the Year" by the Louisiana Childcare Association. Within 18 months, she was named Legislator of the Year by the Louisiana Orthopedic Association, the Louisiana Chiropractic
Association, and the Louisiana Nurse Anesthetists. She has been twice named to the "Hall of Fame" of the conservative Louisiana Family Forum
for a voting record 100 percent in line with the organization’s traditional values. Additionally, she supported Senate colleague Heulette Fontenot
's Pet Evacuation Act of 2006 and in 2008 passed legislation protecting and including animals in a Domestic Abuse Protective Order. In 2008 she was named "Legislator of the Year by the United States Humane Society.
Quinn sponsored a bill requiring mandatory jail time for people who violate a restraining order
at the request of the Louisiana Coalition for Domestic Abuse. The bill is now law. She also filed a bill banning text messaging while driving in Louisiana.
In 2008, Senate President Joel Chaisson
, a Democrat
from Destrehan
in St. Charles Parish
, named her chair of the Judiciary A Committee. In that role, she has managed a large amount of non-fiscal legislation relating to clerks of court, tort reform
, the courts, property law, successions, family law, the state civil code, the code of evidence, and the children’s code. She also serves on the Senate Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs. In 2009, she championed the cause of homeowners having problems with Chinese drywall.
, the seat of Jefferson Parish. Quinn handily defeated Johnson and Monica, 21,002 (57.5 percent) to 9,468 (24.8 percent) for Johnson and 6,791 (17.8 percent) for Monica.
In the council race on April 4, Quinn faced business owner Kelly Daniels, accountant Cynthia Lee-Sheng (daughter of late sheriff Harry Lee
), and school board member and retired educator Martin Marino.
Quinn's reputation was damaged by a series of negative relevations regarding her management skills with respect to both her personal and professional life. The Internal Revenue Service
sought back taxes on her house in Old Metairie. A federal tax lien was placed in her name on the property for $265,452 for 2005 and 2006. Quinn denied knowledge of the lien.
She also failed to maintain her eligibility to practice law, having unpaid Bar Association dues. She failed to comply with the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education rule and did not maintain her legal license. She was ineligibile to practice law for the following periods:
Quinn also alleged in a 17-page motion that her divorce judge, Joan Benge, was trying to thwart Quinn's campaign. "Judge Benge is no stranger to political campaigns, and this strategic docketing was a serious impediment to Ms. Quinn's campaign," Quinn wrote.
Quinn lost the election in the first round of balloting, having polled only 4,600 votes (30.5 percent). Lee-Sheng won the election with 52 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, the state Ethics Board charged Quinn with campaign-finance violations.
. Quinn is not seeking reelection. State Representative Mack A. "Bodi" White, Jr.
, of East Baton Rouge
narrowly won the Senate seat in the October 22 primary election.
Metairie, Louisiana
Metairie is a census-designated place in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, United States and is a major part of the New Orleans Metropolitan Area. Metairie is the largest community in Jefferson Parish. It is an unincorporated area that would be larger than most of the state's cities if it were...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, who is a Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
member of the Louisiana State Senate
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. Quinn's District 6 includes parts of Orleans (a portion of Uptown
Uptown, New Orleans
Uptown is a neighborhood of the city of New Orleans. A subdistrict of the Uptown/Carrollton Area, its boundaries as defined by the City Planning Commission are: LaSalle Street to the north, Napoleon Avenue to the east, Magazine Street to the south and Jefferson Avenue to the west.-Geography:Uptown...
), Jefferson
Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
Jefferson Parish is a parish in Louisiana, United States that includes most of the suburbs of New Orleans. The seat of parish government is Gretna....
, St.Tammany
St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana
St. Tammany Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, in the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area. The parish seat is Covington....
, and Tangipahoa
Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Tangipahoa Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, one of the Florida Parishes. The parish seat is Amite City, but the major city is Hammond. As of 2006, the population was 113,137...
parishes.
Quinn initially won the seat in a special election runoff held in July 2005 against fellow Republican Diane Winston
Diane Winston
Diane Grisham Winston is a businesswoman from Covington, Louisiana, who served as a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1996 until term-limited in 2008. Her District 77 includes parts of St. Tammany and Tangipahoa parishes in suburban New Orleans. In 2012, the district...
of Covington
Covington, Louisiana
Covington is a city in and the parish seat of St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,483 at the 2000 census. It is located at a fork of the Bogue Falaya and the Tchefuncte River....
, then a state representative
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
. Eliminated in the first round of balloting was freshman State Representative John LaBruzzo
John LaBruzzo
John Frank LaBruzzo is a businessman from Metairie, Louisiana, who is a departing Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 81 in Jefferson Parish. He occupied the legislative district formerly held by Charles Cusimano, David Duke, and David Vitter...
, also of Jefferson Parish. The position became suddenly available by the death of veteran Republican lawmaker John Hainkel
John Hainkel
John Joseph Hainkel, Jr., was a gregarious, ruffled, and raspy-voiced legislator from New Orleans who died in office after thirty-seven years of service...
.
Personal life
Quinn is the oldest of three children born to teenagers, Bruce Edward Unangst (born ca. 1949), a native of GreenvilleGreenville, Pennsylvania
Greenville is a borough in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. Located along the Shenango River, Greenville is roughly 80 miles from both Pittsburgh and Cleveland. Greenville is part of the Youngstown–Warren–Boardman, OH-PA Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is home to 570,000 people...
in Mercer County
Mercer County, Pennsylvania
Mercer County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 116,638. Its county seat is Mercer; Sharon is its largest city....
in northwestern Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and the former Shirley Ann Lineman (born ca. 1948). She has two brothers, attorney Bruce Unangst, II, of Gonzales
Gonzales, Louisiana
Gonzales is a city in Ascension Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 8,156 at the 2000 census. It has been called the "jambalaya capital of the world" and is famous for its annual Jambalaya Festival. Gonzales is part of the Baton Rouge Metropolitan Statistical Area.State...
, Louisiana, in Ascension Parish
Ascension Parish, Louisiana
Ascension Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the fastest growing parish in the state. Its population is 107,215 which is 39.9% greater than the 2000 census...
, and Christopher Martin Unangst. Her father, the first president of the combined parish and municipal government in St. Tammany Parish, is a real estate agent and banker in Covington. Quinn’s mother also had political aspirations and unsuccessfully sought the District 76 seat in St. Tammany Parish in the Louisiana House of Representatives
Louisiana State Legislature
The Louisiana State Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is bicameral body, comprising the lower house, the Louisiana House of Representatives with 105 representatives, and the upper house, the Louisiana Senate with 39 senators...
in a four-candidate all-Republican field in the nonpartisan blanket primary held on October 19, 1991. In the second round of balloting, the incumbent Edward C. Scogin
Ed Scogin
Edward C. Scogin, known as Ed Scogin , was from 1972-1992 a Republican member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Slidell in St. Tammany Parish in suburban New Orleans, Louisiana, known as a fiscal watchdog over state government...
of Slidell
Slidell, Louisiana
Slidell is a city situated on the northeast shore of Lake Pontchartrain in St. Tammany Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 25,695 at the 2000 census. The Greater Slidell Community has a population of about 90,000...
was unseated by Suzanne Mayfield Krieger
Suzanne Mayfield Krieger
Suzanne Mayfield Krieger is a lifelong resident of Slidell, Louisiana, who represented District 76 in the Louisiana House of Representatives as a Republican for a single term from 1992 to 1996...
.
Quinn was reared in St. Tammany Parish. She graduated in 1989 from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge
Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Baton Rouge is the capital of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is located in East Baton Rouge Parish and is the second-largest city in the state.Baton Rouge is a major industrial, petrochemical, medical, and research center of the American South...
with a Bachelor of Arts
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree in broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism
Broadcast journalism is the field of news and journals which are "broadcast", that is, published by electrical methods, instead of the older methods, such as printed newspapers and posters. Broadcast methods include radio , television , and, especially recently, the Internet generally...
. In 1992, she earned her Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from Loyola University
Loyola University New Orleans
Loyola University New Orleans is a private, co-educational and Jesuit university located in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Originally established as Loyola College in 1904, the institution was chartered as a university in 1912. It bears the name of the Jesuit patron, Saint Ignatius of Loyola...
in New Orleans, where she graduated on Law Review and Moot Court, and was twice named a teaching assistant in legal research and writing. In 1996, Quinn married businessman Francis Patrick Quinn, owner of the Decatur hotel chain. Although seven months pregnant with his second child in 2001, Quinn ran for and won a special election to the Jefferson Parish School Board. From that berth she declared her support for fiscal responsibility and worked to establish the first magnet school
Magnet school
In education in the United States, magnet schools are public schools with specialized courses or curricula. "Magnet" refers to how the schools draw students from across the normal boundaries defined by authorities as school zones that feed into certain schools.There are magnet schools at the...
in Jefferson Parish.
To seek the Senate seat in 2005, Quinn resigned from the Jefferson Parish School Board. She was elected and sworn in in August, 2005, just 3 weeks before Hurricane Katrina. Between 2005 and 2006, Quinn and her husband divorced under the scrutiny of the media.
Quinn was thereafter elected to a full term in the Senate seat in the primary held on October 20, 2007.
Senatorial service
As a senator, she serves on the InsuranceInsurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
Committee, a position through which she became an advocate for property insurance reform, she worked to require insurance companies to pay the claims to homeowners in the wake of Katrina. After her first legislative session, she was named "Senator of the Year" by the Louisiana Childcare Association. Within 18 months, she was named Legislator of the Year by the Louisiana Orthopedic Association, the Louisiana Chiropractic
Chiropractic
Chiropractic is a health care profession concerned with the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disorders of the neuromusculoskeletal system and the effects of these disorders on general health. It is generally categorized as complementary and alternative medicine...
Association, and the Louisiana Nurse Anesthetists. She has been twice named to the "Hall of Fame" of the conservative Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum
Louisiana Family Forum is a social conservative non-profit advocacy group based in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The organization supports Louisiana's covenant marriage law and opposes abortion and same-sex marriage...
for a voting record 100 percent in line with the organization’s traditional values. Additionally, she supported Senate colleague Heulette Fontenot
Heulette Fontenot
Heulette Clovance Fontenot, Jr., known as Clo Fontenot , is a Livingston, Louisiana, businessman who served as a Republican member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature between 1996 and 2008. He was a one-term member of the House of Representatives from 1996 to 2000 and served two terms...
's Pet Evacuation Act of 2006 and in 2008 passed legislation protecting and including animals in a Domestic Abuse Protective Order. In 2008 she was named "Legislator of the Year by the United States Humane Society.
Quinn sponsored a bill requiring mandatory jail time for people who violate a restraining order
Restraining order
A restraining order or order of protection is a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts. A party that refuses to comply with an order faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
at the request of the Louisiana Coalition for Domestic Abuse. The bill is now law. She also filed a bill banning text messaging while driving in Louisiana.
In 2008, Senate President Joel Chaisson
Joel Chaisson
Joel Thomas Chaisson, II , is an American Democratic politician who is the outgoing president of the Louisiana State Senate. He assumed the leadership position on January 14, 2008. A resident of Destrehan, Chaisson has represented Senate District 19 in St. Charles Parish since 2000...
, a Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
from Destrehan
Destrehan, Louisiana
Destrehan is a census-designated place in St. Charles Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 11,260 at the 2000 census. It was named after Jean N...
in St. Charles Parish
St. Charles Parish, Louisiana
St. Charles Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Hahnville. In 2010, its population was 52,780. In the eighteenth and nineteenth century, this was part of the German Coast, an area along the Mississippi River settled by numerous German pioneers in the...
, named her chair of the Judiciary A Committee. In that role, she has managed a large amount of non-fiscal legislation relating to clerks of court, tort reform
Tort reform
Tort reform refers to proposed changes in common law civil justice systems that would reduce tort litigation or damages. Tort actions are civil common law claims first created in the English commonwealth system as a non-legislative means for compensating wrongs and harm done by one party to...
, the courts, property law, successions, family law, the state civil code, the code of evidence, and the children’s code. She also serves on the Senate Committee on Local and Municipal Affairs. In 2009, she championed the cause of homeowners having problems with Chinese drywall.
2007 election
Quinn ran for re-election to the state Senate in 2007. Former television anchorwoman Mary Lou McCall, announced her candidacy for Quinn's seat. Ultimately, McCall was declared not to meet the residency requirement to contest the Senate seat. Another potential rival, outgoing State Representative Diane Winston of Covington, also withdrew. Quinn finally faced only two intraparty rivals, Doug Johnson and Dr. Monica L. Monica, an ophthalmologist from GretnaGretna, Louisiana
The city of Gretna is the parish seat of Jefferson Parish, in the US state of Louisiana. Gretna is on the west bank of the Mississippi River, just east and across the river from uptown New Orleans. It is part of the New Orleans–Metairie–Kenner Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, the seat of Jefferson Parish. Quinn handily defeated Johnson and Monica, 21,002 (57.5 percent) to 9,468 (24.8 percent) for Johnson and 6,791 (17.8 percent) for Monica.
The 2009 campaign
In 2009, Quinn, with two years remaining in her Senate term, filed to run for a local office, the District 5 Jefferson Parish Council seat vacated by former Councilwoman Jennifer Sneed-Heebe.In the council race on April 4, Quinn faced business owner Kelly Daniels, accountant Cynthia Lee-Sheng (daughter of late sheriff Harry Lee
Harry Lee
Harry Lee was the long-time sheriff of Jefferson Parish, Louisiana. He was first elected in 1979, as the 30th Sheriff, and was re-elected six times, serving twenty eight years and six months...
), and school board member and retired educator Martin Marino.
Quinn's reputation was damaged by a series of negative relevations regarding her management skills with respect to both her personal and professional life. The Internal Revenue Service
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
sought back taxes on her house in Old Metairie. A federal tax lien was placed in her name on the property for $265,452 for 2005 and 2006. Quinn denied knowledge of the lien.
She also failed to maintain her eligibility to practice law, having unpaid Bar Association dues. She failed to comply with the Mandatory Continuing Legal Education rule and did not maintain her legal license. She was ineligibile to practice law for the following periods:
- 9-2-1997 to 12-22-1997;
- 9-11-2006 to 1-5-2007;
- 9-29-2007 to 10-11-2007;
- 7-24-2008 to 2-27-2009;
Quinn also alleged in a 17-page motion that her divorce judge, Joan Benge, was trying to thwart Quinn's campaign. "Judge Benge is no stranger to political campaigns, and this strategic docketing was a serious impediment to Ms. Quinn's campaign," Quinn wrote.
Quinn lost the election in the first round of balloting, having polled only 4,600 votes (30.5 percent). Lee-Sheng won the election with 52 percent of the vote.
Meanwhile, the state Ethics Board charged Quinn with campaign-finance violations.
2011 campaign
Senate District 6 is being entirely reconfigured under legislative redistricting. It will stretch from Baton Rouge east to the Florida ParishesFlorida Parishes
The Florida Parishes , also known as the North Shore region, are eight parishes in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Louisiana, which were part of West Florida in the 18th and early 19th centuries. Unlike much of Louisiana, this region was not part of the Louisiana Purchase, as it had been...
. Quinn is not seeking reelection. State Representative Mack A. "Bodi" White, Jr.
Bodi White
Mack A. White, Jr., known as Bodi White , is an incoming Republican member of the Louisiana State Senate from Central City in East Baton Rouge Parish in south Louisiana. His District 6 includes parts of East Baton Rouge, Livingston, St...
, of East Baton Rouge
East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
East Baton Rouge Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Baton Rouge, Louisiana's state capital. As of the 2010 census, the population was 440,171. The parish has a total area of , of which is land and is water. It is the most populous parish in the state...
narrowly won the Senate seat in the October 22 primary election.