BATON ROUGE - As expected, the legal battle centered around the incorporation of the city of St. George is heading to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

The court confirmed Wednesday that the matter is set be argued in its next available docket.  

Supporters of the movement to carve out St. George and form its own standalone city said over the summer they planned to take the matter to the state's highest court after the First Circuit Court of Appeal sided with East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome, who sued to keep the process from moving forward.

Some outspoken members of the St. George community have campaigned for years to create a new incorporated city in the southeastern portion of East Baton Rouge Parish, but attempts to get it on the ballot for a vote repeatedly fell short until 2019. Since then, the legal back-and-forth has kept the effort in limbo.

In a statement Wednesday, a mayor's office spokesperson said, "This move was expected in a case of this political nature. We expect the district court ruling and unanimous court of appeals ruling to be upheld."

Read the full announcement from the state Supreme Court here.