SLS 183ES-18 ORIGINAL
2018 Third Extraordinary Session
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 16
BY SENATOR BISHOP
CONDOLENCES. Expresses sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the death of Judge
Joan Bernard Armstrong.
1 A RESOLUTION
2 To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
3 passing of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong of New Orleans and to note her many
4 accomplishments as a public servant and as an instrument for change in the judiciary
5 of the state.
6 WHEREAS, it is with deep sadness that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
7 has learned of the passing of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong, a magnanimous public servant
8 and former Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit, State of Louisiana; and
9 WHEREAS, an advocate for juvenile justice, the Honorable Joan Bernard Armstrong
10 was appointed to a juvenile court judgeship by Governor Edwin Edwards in January 1974
11 and was elected without opposition to that post in the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court in June
12 of that year; historically, the first female and the first African-American woman elected to
13 the judiciary in the state of Louisiana; and
14 WHEREAS, she served as the court's administrative judge from 1979 until 1981 and
15 on the court until 1984; and
16 WHEREAS, in 1984, Judge Armstrong was elected without opposition to the state
17 Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit and became the first female appellate jurist; she became
18 chief judge of that court in 2003 and served in that position until her retirement in 2012; and
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SLS 183ES-18 ORIGINAL
1 WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong served as a role model for other African-American
2 jurists, many of whom sought her guidance; she was a mentor and a source of inspiration for
3 many legal professionals; and
4 WHEREAS, known for her keen insight and understanding, she shared her
5 scholarship with others as an adjunct professor of law at Southern University Law Center
6 and at the Dr. Martin Luther King Criminal Justice Center located at Grambling State
7 University, and as a contributor to the American Judges Association Education Committee;
8 and
9 WHEREAS, as a distinguished alumna of McDonogh 35 Senior High School, she
10 matriculated to Xavier University and graduated in 1963; and
11 WHEREAS, while employed as a school teacher, Judge Armstrong attended night
12 classes at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law to earn a jurist doctor in 1967; and
13 WHEREAS, during her lengthy tenure on the bench, she administered justice on
14 behalf of the state and families and children brought before her in juvenile court and
15 authored extensive jurisprudence on a multitude of matters before her as an appellate jurist;
16 and
17 WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong wielded influence in state judiciary circles as chair
18 of the Louisiana Conference of Court of Appeal Judges and as a member of the Judiciary
19 Budgetary Board, the Judicial Ethics Committee, the Judicial Human Resources Committee,
20 and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Criminal
21 Justice; and
22 WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong was acknowledged for her public service by the
23 receipt of a plethora of awards and honors far too numerous to count from judicial, fraternal,
24 religious, civic, philanthropic, educational, and national organizations that recognized her
25 exemplary community service and activism; and
26 WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong was presented with several awards of note from the
27 National Bar Association, including "Jurist of the Year" Award by the Women's Lawyers
28 Division and the "William H. Hastie" Award by the Judicial Council; and
29 WHEREAS, in January 2012, Judge Armstrong stepped down from the bench after
30 thirty-seven years of exceptional public service, which made her the longest-serving judge
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SLS 183ES-18 ORIGINAL
1 in the state of Louisiana at the time; and
2 WHEREAS, in retirement, Judge Armstrong was sought after as a keynote speaker
3 and conferee by numerous judicial organizations; and
4 WHEREAS, the legacy of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong is woven into the lives of
5 those individuals she encountered throughout her lifetime and in her positive influence that
6 has endured in generations of children and young adults; and
7 WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew, and
8 survived by a son, former state representative the Reverend David Armstrong; a daughter,
9 Anna-Karletta Armstrong Alexander; two grandchildren, Amaya Alexander and Joshua
10 Alexander Jr.; and a host of beloved friends; and
11 WHEREAS, Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong was an uncommon individual of
12 extraordinary moral character and abiding faith, who supported the legal principles of gender
13 equity and racial equality that she knew to be just and righteous, and the ethical concept that
14 all human beings were to be afforded equal protection before the law.
15 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
16 does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the passing of Judge Joan
17 Bernard Armstrong, formerly of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court and Chief Judge of the
18 Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit, State of Louisiana, for her tireless dedication to the
19 improvement of the administration of justice in Louisiana.
20 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
21 hereby recognize her outstanding public service to the city of New Orleans, the state of
22 Louisiana, and the nation.
23 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
24 family of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong.
The original instrument and the following digest, which constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument, were prepared by Susan P. Montague.
DIGEST
SR 16 Original 2018 Third Extraordinary Session Bishop
Expresses condolences upon the death of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong of New Orleans.
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