BATON ROUGE — A special election to fill the unoccupied seat of former State Sen. Troy Brown will take place April 29, according to a proclamation signed this week by Senate President John Alario.

Should a runoff be required, that election will take place May 27.

Those seeking office can qualify in their home districts between March 15 and 17.

Louisiana State Senate District 2 covers parts of eight parishes, including swaths of St. John the Baptist, St. James and St. Charles.

Brown officially resigned from office Thursday amid growing backlash from constituents and colleagues and a seemingly eminent and unstoppable expulsion effort by state legislators.

It was reported that Brown is dropping planned legal action against the Senate. He had asked the 19th Judicial District Court in Baton Rouge to block any punishment, including expulsion, that the Senate might impose.

His court hearing was set for this week.

Brown had come under fire after twice pleading no contest in separate domestic violence cases.

“I think my actions warranted a punishment. I think my punishment should be commensurate with what occurred,” Brown said with his resignation, adding the expulsion effort was an overreaction and the equivalent of “an execution.”

On Sunday, Brown shared a message on his Facebook page that said “I don’t know what’s worse, Black folks thinking the system that used to kill them for attempting to read will properly educate their children or Black people believing the same system that enslaved them will give them justice.”