The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled that Bernette Johnson will be the court's next chief justice, resolving a legal dispute that wound up in federal court. The court's ruling Tuesday says Johnson's years of appointed and elected service on the court give her the seniority that entitles her to succeed Chief Justice Catherine "Kitty" Kimball early next year. Justice Jeffrey Victory had argued he had more seniority than Johnson and deserved the position. Johnson had filed a federal lawsuit to block her colleagues from deciding the matter. U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan ruled in her favor last month. Johnson will be the court's first black chief justice.