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Regular Session, 2013
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 23
BY REPRESENTATIVE BROSSETT
A RESOLUTION
To commend the Honorable Bernette J. Johnson on being honored by the Greater New
Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc., for becoming the first African
American to serve as Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
WHEREAS, Justice Bernette J. Johnson received a Bachelor of Arts degree from
Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and later received an Honorary Doctorate in Law from
Spelman in April, 2001; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson was one of the first African American women to attend
law school at Louisiana State University (LSU), where she received her Juris Doctorate
degree in 1969; and
WHEREAS, while in law school, Justice Johnson worked summers for the Legal
Defense Fund and as a law clerk for the Civil Rights Division of the United States
Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., handling cases filed by the department to
implement the 1964 Civil Rights Act; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson also served as a federal observer during elections in
Greenwood, Mississippi; and
WHEREAS, after receiving her Juris Doctorate degree, Justice Johnson became the
managing attorney with the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, where she delivered
legal services to more than three thousand clients in socioeconomically deprived
neighborhoods; and
WHEREAS, prior to her election to the bench, Justice Johnson spent much of her
legal career working in the public sector as a legal services attorney, a Deputy City Attorney
for the city of New Orleans, and as a law clerk with the United States Justice Department,
Civil Rights Division; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 23
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WHEREAS, Justice Johnson also worked as a community organizer with the
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Legal Defense and
Educational Fund in New York City and with community 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 Orleans Parish Civil District Court as the first woman to hold that office, and she was
re-elected without opposition in 1990 before being elected Chief Judge by her colleagues in
1994; and
WHEREAS, as a civil trial judge, Justice Johnson was first assigned to Domestic
Relations Court, where she established a system to refer custody, alimony, and child support
issues to mediation 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 has
diversified the Committee on Bar Admissions by increasing minority participation and
leadership on that committee; and ENROLLEDHR NO. 23
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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 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's President Award in 2005 for her work as
cochair of the Diversity Committee; and
WHEREAS, in 1998, Justice Johnson chaired the National Bar Association Judicial
Council, served a term as secretary, and is currently a member of the A.P. Tureaud Inns of
Court, the Louisiana State Law Institute, and the National Association of Women Judges,
serving as a district director, and is 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, Justice Johnson is the proud parent of a son and a daughter: David, an
accountant who lives in Atlanta with his family, and Rachael, who is an attorney licensed
to practice law in Florida and Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, on April 6, 2013, at its annual gala, the Greater New Orleans Louis A.
Martinet Legal Society, Inc., honored Justice Johnson for becoming the first African
American to serve as Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court; and
WHEREAS, Justice Johnson merits a special measure of commendation for the
tremendous pride and honor that she brings to the state of Louisiana.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commend the Honorable Bernette J. Johnson on being
honored by the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc., on becoming the
first African American to serve as Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, does
hereby record for posterity her noteworthy ascension in the legal field and her outstanding
contributions to both the legal profession and her fellow citizens, and extends to her best
wishes for continued success and happiness in all future endeavors. ENROLLEDHR NO. 23
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THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that a suitable copy of this Resolution be
transmitted to Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATI VES