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Regular Session, 2012 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 174
BY SENATORS PETERSON, MURRAY, MORRELL, DORSEY-COLOMB, BROWN,
BROOME, GALLOT, WARD, GARY SMITH, LAFLEUR, AMEDEE,
HEITMEIER, TARVER AND GUILLORY
A RESOLUTION
To commend Justice Bernette J. Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court on her ascension
in the legal field and for her outstanding contributions to both the legal field and her
fellow man.
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson attended Spellman College in Atlanta, Georgia, on an
academic scholarship, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree; and received an
Honorary Doctorate in Law from Spellman College at commencement services in April,
2001; and
WHEREAS, she was one of the first African American women to attend the Law
School at Louisiana State University ("LSU"), where she received her Juris Doctorate degree
in 1969; and
WHEREAS, while a law student at LSU, Justice Johnson worked summers for the
Legal Defense Fund ("LDF") and as a law intern with the U.S. Department of Justice (Civil
Rights Division) in Washington, D.C., on cases filed by the department to implement the
1964 Civil Rights Act primarily dealing with discrimination in public accommodations; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson also served as a federal observer during elections in
Greenwood, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, after receiving her Juris Doctorate Degree from Louisiana State
University Law School, Justice Johnson became the managing attorney with the New
Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, where she delivered legal services to over three
thousand clients in socio-economically deprived neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, prior to her election to the bench, Justice Johnson spent much of her
legal career working in the public sector including time as a legal services attorney, a Deputy
City Attorney for the city of New Orleans, and as a law intern with the U.S. Justice
Department, Civil Rights Division; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson also worked as a community organizer with the
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund in New York City and with community SR NO. 174 ENROLLED
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groups in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and
Louisiana, disseminating information about recent school desegregation decisions, and
encouraging parents to take advantage of newly desegregated schools; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson also helped to organize household workers, so they
would receive social security benefits and a minimum wage; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson's judicial career began in 1984, when she was elected
to the Civil District Court of New Orleans, and was the first woman to hold that office, and
was re-elected, without opposition, in 1990 and was elected Chief Judge by her colleagues
in 1994; and
WHEREAS, as a civil trial judge, she was first assigned to Domestic Relations Court,
where she established a system to refer custody, alimony, and child support issues to
mediation conducted by certified social workers of the Children's Bureau and Family
Services, prior to court appearances and provided that such mediation be provided to needy
families based on a sliding scale system for payment of fees; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson was elected to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court
in 1994, and was re-elected, without opposition, in 2000; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson serves on the Louisiana Supreme Court's Judicial
Council, has served on the Court's Legal Services Task Force, has served on the National
Campaign on Best Practices in the area of Racial and Ethnic Fairness in the Court, and has
worked closely with the Court's Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Committee and the
Committee on Bar Admissions; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson provided extraordinary leadership to the Louisiana
Judiciary in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by facilitating the efforts to restore the
operations of all courts in the New Orleans area; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure on the Louisiana Supreme Court, Justice Johnson
diversified the Committee on Bar Admissions by increasing minority participation and
leadership on that committee; and
WHEREAS, when Chief Justice Kimball suffered a stroke in January, 2010, Justice
Johnson, as Deputy Chief Justice and the court's second most senior Justice, assumed the
leadership of the court including serving as chair of the court's conferences and presiding SR NO. 174 ENROLLED
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over oral argument before the court; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson continued in this leadership role as acting Chief Justice
until Chief Justice Kimball's health allowed her to return to the court; and
WHEREAS, upon Justice Kimball's retirement in January, 2013, Justice Johnson will
be the judge oldest in point of service on the Supreme Court and will therefore ascend to the
position of Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court a natural ascension given the
trajectory of her service to the public, the judiciary, and the Louisiana Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson will become the first African American Chief Justice
of the Louisiana Supreme Court and is currently the court's appointee to the Louisiana Law
Institute; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson organized the first Continuing Legal Education (CLE)
program for the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, was chair of the CLE Committee and was
given the Martinet's President Award in 1997 and 2008; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson is active in prison outreach, beginning with hosting a
group visit to the Louisiana Correctional Institute for Women (St. Gabriel Women's Prison)
in 2008 where the goal of the visit was to learn more about rehabilitation programs already
in place and to offer help and resources in sustaining and improving such programs.
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson is currently spearheading prison re-entry initiatives at
St. Gabriel Women's Prison and has created an outreach program to help women inmates
who are within a year of release with re-entry priorities; and
WHEREAS, the outreach program assists the women with obtaining housing, job
readiness, employment, and obtaining other necessary services and benefits to insure against
recidivism; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson is a Fleur De Lis member of the New Orleans Bar
Association, is active with several committees of the Louisiana State Bar Association
(LSBA), and was presented with the LSBA President's award in 2005 for her work as co-
chair of the Diversity Committee; and
WHEREAS, in 1998, she chaired the National Bar Association Judicial Council,
where she also served a term as secretary and is currently a member of the A.P. Tureaud Inn
of Court, the Louisiana State Law Institute; the National Association of Women Judges, SR NO. 174 ENROLLED
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serving as a district director, and is now active with the Women in Prison Project; and
WHEREAS, in 1996, Justice Johnson's portrait was unveiled as she was inducted into
the LSU Law Center Hall of Fame; and
WHEREAS, during her tenure as judge, Justice Johnson has been the recipient of
numerous awards including the 2008 Distinguished Jurist Award presented by the Louisiana
Bar Foundation, the Louisiana Bar Association President's Award for Exceptional Service
as co-chair of the Task Force on Diversity in the Profession, the Louis A. Martinet Legal
Society President's Award in 1997 and 2008, the National Nobel Woman Award presented
by the Organization of Black Elected Legislative Women, and the Judicial Public Service
Award presented by the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles Mystic Shrine of North and
South America; and
WHEREAS, in addition, other awards include: the 2000 Medal of Honor presented
by the Mayor of the City of New Orleans; the 2000 Women of Wonder Award presented by
the National Council of Negro Women; the first Ernest N. Morial Award presented by the
New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation; the A.P. Tureaud Citizenship Award presented
by the Louisiana State Conference of the NAACP; the 1999 Martin Luther King Jr. Torch
Bearer Award; the 1998 Outstanding Community Service Award presented by the Imperial
Court Daughters of Isis; the 1998 Outstanding Service Award presented by the International
Law Section of the National Bar Association; and the 1992 Role Model Award presented by
the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA) of Greater New Orleans; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson is the proud parent of two industrious and conscientious
adult children: a son, David, an accountant, who lives in Atlanta with his family; and a
daughter, Rachael, who is an attorney licensed to practice law in Florida and Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby commend Justice Bernette J. Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme Court on her
ascension in the legal field and for her outstanding contributions to both the legal field and
her fellow man, and extends to her best wishes for continued success and happiness in all
future endeavors.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE