BATON ROUGE — A judge on Monday ruled against a lawsuit that challenged the candidacy of Patrick Martin, who was recently elected to the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.

Cynthia Brooks filed a lawsuit last Friday against Martin, who went unopposed for his district during qualifying. Brooks alleged that Martin failed to pay his income taxes for the past two years, in 2024 and 2025.

Louisiana state law requires candidates to have filed state and federal tax returns for the past five years, or to have at least requested extensions.

Brian F. Blackwell with Blackwell & Bullman, told WBRZ that Judge Ronald Johnson ruled against his client, Brooks, on Monday. Blackwell said his client was determining whether to appeal.

Martin told Johnson in court that he gave his tax filings to his wife to be mailed the day before registering to run, The Advocate reported. She forgot, Martin testified, leading him to believe his taxes were filed correctly when he qualified with the Secretary of State’s Office on Aug. 5.