2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 106
BY SENATORS PEACOCK AND WALSWORTH AND REPRESENTATIVE JACKSON
A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
To commend the Honorable Felicia Toney Williams upon her ascension to the position of
chief judge on the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal and to congratulate her
as the first female African-American jurist to do so in the second circuit.
WHEREAS, it is with great respect that the Legislature of Louisiana acknowledges
the advancement of Chief Judge Felicia Williams to this prestigious position on the appellate
bench in October 2018; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams can lay claim to several "firsts" in her life; she
was the first African-American woman elected to the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in
1993, she was then reelected in 2002 and 2012 without opposition; and her current term
continues until December 2022; and
WHEREAS, as chief judge, Felicia Toney Williams puts forth a vision statement for
the court to work efficiently and appropriately and to give equal weight to the disposition
of all cases before the bench; and
WHEREAS, Judge Felicia Williams holds excellent credentials as a jurist having
served as a judge for the Sixth Judicial District, which encompasses the parishes of Madison,
East Carroll, and Tensas; she was appointed to serve as an Associate Justice Pro Tempore
for the Louisiana Supreme Court; and she also served as an Assistant District Attorney for
the Sixth Judicial District; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams is an individual of great intellect and insight
having graduated magna cum laude from Southern University with receipt of a Bachelor of
Arts degree, also having graduated cum laude from Southern University Law Center with
a Juris Doctor degree, and having been distinguished among her peers to serve as editor-in-
chief of the Southern University Law Review; and
WHEREAS, in 1994, she completed the Appellate Judges Program at New York
University School of Law; and
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WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams is active in an array of professional organizations
that include the American Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association, Shreveport Bar
Association, National Bar Association, Louisiana Judicial Council, National Association of
Women Judges, Judge Fred Fudickar Jr. American Inn of Court, and the Northeast Louisiana
Louis A. Martinet Legal Society; and
WHEREAS, with an interest in social activism, Chief Judge Williams provides
helpful insight to the Louisiana Task Force on Women in the Courts, the Louisiana Task
Force on Racial and Ethnic Bias, the Madison Parish Task Force on Education and Drug
Abuse, and the Madison Parish Schools Advisory Committee; and
WHEREAS, she holds affiliations with service organizations such as, Alpha Kappa
Alpha Sorority, Inc., Southern University Alumni Federation, and the Order of the Eastern
Star; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams has been honored with tributes such as Who's
Who in American Law and as an Honorary Member of the National Honor Society of
Secondary Schools; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams has many well-deserved accolades that include
receipt of the Thurgood Marshall Service Award from the American Bar Association, the
Distinguished Alumni Award from Southern University Law Center, the Outstanding
Service Award from the National Association of University Women, the Outstanding
Community Service Award from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., the Silver Dollar
Service Award from Top Ladies of Distinction, Inc., the Human & Civil Rights Trailblazer
Award from the Louisiana Association of Educators, and the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
Award from the city of Shreveport; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams has also served her fellow jurists as president of
the Second Circuit Court of Appeals Judges Association, as chairman and vice chairman of
the Louisiana Supreme Court Judiciary Commission, and as chairman of the Louisiana
Conference of Court of Appeal Judges; and
WHEREAS, Chief Judge Williams is proud to have broken through the court's "glass
ceilings" of gender and ethnicity to faithfully serve the state on the Louisiana Second Circuit
Court of Appeal; and
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WHEREAS, Chief Judge Felicia Williams exhibits the finest qualities of diligence,
character, perseverance, and social activism that shall be reminiscent of her tenure on the
bench.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
commend Chief Judge Felicia T. Williams for her stalwart public service to the citizenry of
the state of Louisiana as a jurist and for her many contributions to the effectiveness and
efficiency of the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Honorable Felicia T. Williams, chief judge of the Louisiana Second Circuit Court of Appeal.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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