Sylvia Elaine Taylor is a Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, representing District 57 . Elected in 2023 and assuming office on January 8, 2024, she is the first woman and first Black woman to represent this district. A native of New Orleans raised in Reserve, Louisiana, she resides there and is active in church and community activities. Before politics, she was a pioneering attorney—the first Black female attorney in St. John the Baptist Parish—licensed since 1975, and served 22 years as a Workers’ Compensation Judge, supervisor, and mediator until retiring in 2015. She then continued through her private law firm in LaPlace. Notable positions include committees on Civil Law and Procedure, Education, Retirement, and the House Select Committee on Women and Children; she is also part of the Acadiana Delegation, Democratic Caucus, Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus, Louisiana Legislative Women’s Caucus, and Louisiana Rural Caucus. Her legislative priorities focus on education, healthcare, infrastructure, environment, transportation, and levee projects.

Education and Political Experience

Education: B.A. in English Education from Dillard University; J.D. from Loyola University New Orleans College of Law; attended Southern University Law Center and a summer program at Tulane University Law School.

Political Experience: Elected to the Louisiana House in 2023 for District 57, eligible to serve through 2032; historic firsts as the district's initial female and Black female representative.