2018 Third Extraordinary Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 16
BY SENATORS BISHOP, ALARIO, ALLAIN, APPEL, BARROW, BOUDREAUX,
CARTER, CHABERT, CLAITOR, COLOMB, CORTEZ, DONAHUE,
ERDEY, FANNIN, GATTI, HEWITT, JOHNS, LAFLEUR, LAMBERT,
LONG, LUNEAU, MARTINY, MILKOVICH, MILLS, MIZELL,
MORRELL, MORRISH, PEACOCK, PERRY, PETERSON, PRICE,
RISER, GARY SMITH, JOHN SMITH, TARVER, THOMPSON,
WALSWORTH, WARD AND WHITE
A RESOLUTION
To express the sincere condolences of the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana upon the
passing of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong of New Orleans and to note her many
accomplishments as a public servant and as an instrument for change in the judiciary
of the state.
WHEREAS, it is with deep sadness that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
has learned of the passing of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong, a magnanimous public servant
and former Chief Judge of the Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit, State of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, an advocate for juvenile justice, the Honorable Joan Bernard Armstrong
was appointed to a juvenile court judgeship by Governor Edwin Edwards in January 1974
and was elected without opposition to that post in the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court in June
of that year; historically, the first female and the first African-American woman elected to
the judiciary in the state of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, she served as the court's administrative judge from 1979 until 1981 and
on the court until 1984; and
WHEREAS, in 1984, Judge Armstrong was elected without opposition to the state
Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit and became the first female appellate jurist; she became
chief judge of that court in 2003 and served in that position until her retirement in 2012; and
WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong served as a role model for other African-American
jurists, many of whom sought her guidance; she was a mentor and a source of inspiration for
many legal professionals; and
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WHEREAS, known for her keen insight and understanding, she shared her
scholarship with others as an adjunct professor of law at Southern University Law Center
and at the Dr. Martin Luther King Criminal Justice Center located at Grambling State
University, and as a contributor to the American Judges Association Education Committee;
and
WHEREAS, as a distinguished alumna of McDonogh 35 Senior High School, she
matriculated to Xavier University and graduated in 1963; and
WHEREAS, while employed as a school teacher, Judge Armstrong attended night
classes at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law to earn a juris doctor in 1967; and
WHEREAS, during her lengthy tenure on the bench, she administered justice on
behalf of the state and families and children brought before her in juvenile court and
authored extensive jurisprudence on a multitude of matters before her as an appellate jurist;
and
WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong wielded influence in state judiciary circles as chair
of the Louisiana Conference of Court of Appeal Judges and as a member of the Judiciary
Budgetary Board, the Judicial Ethics Committee, the Judicial Human Resources Committee,
and the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and the Administration of Criminal
Justice; and
WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong was acknowledged for her public service by the
receipt of a plethora of awards and honors far too numerous to count from judicial, fraternal,
religious, civic, philanthropic, educational, and national organizations that recognized her
exemplary community service and activism; and
WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong was presented with several awards of note from the
National Bar Association, including the Jurist of the Year Award by the Women's Lawyers
Division and the William H. Hastie Award by the Judicial Council; and
WHEREAS, in January 2012, Judge Armstrong stepped down from the bench after
thirty-seven years of exceptional public service, which made her the longest-serving judge
in the state of Louisiana at the time; and
WHEREAS, in retirement, Judge Armstrong was sought after as a keynote speaker
and conferee by numerous judicial organizations; and
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WHEREAS, the legacy of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong is woven into the lives of
those individuals she encountered throughout her lifetime and in her positive influence that
has endured in generations of children and young adults; and
WHEREAS, Judge Armstrong was preceded in death by her husband, Andrew, and
survived by a son, former state representative the Reverend David Armstrong; a daughter,
Anna-Karletta Armstrong Alexander; two grandchildren, Amaya Alexander and Joshua
Alexander Jr.; and a host of beloved friends; and
WHEREAS, Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong was an uncommon individual of
extraordinary moral character and abiding faith, who supported the legal principles of gender
equity and racial equality that she knew to be just and righteous, and the ethical concept that
all human beings were to be afforded equal protection before the law.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby express sincere and heartfelt condolences upon the passing of Judge Joan
Bernard Armstrong, formerly of the Orleans Parish Juvenile Court and Chief Judge of the
Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit, State of Louisiana, for her tireless dedication to the
improvement of the administration of justice in Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana does
hereby recognize her outstanding public service to the city of New Orleans, the state of
Louisiana, and the nation.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
family of Judge Joan Bernard Armstrong.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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