HLS 20RS-1082 ORIGINAL
2020 Regular Session
HOUSE CONCURRENT RESOL UTION NO. 16
BY REPRESENTATIVE SCHEXNAYDER AND SENATOR CORTEZ
COMMENDATIONS: Commends Madame Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson of the
Louisiana Supreme Court on her retirement
1 A CONCURRENT RESOL UTION
2To commend Madame Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson of the Louisiana Supreme
3 Court on the occasion of her retirement from the court.
4 WHEREAS, Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson is the Louisiana Supreme Court's
5twenty-fifth Chief Justice, its second female Chief Justice, and its first African-American
6Chief Justice; and
7 WHEREAS, Bernette Johnson was born in Donaldsonville, Louisiana; she attended
8Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia, and received a bachelor of arts degree in political
9science in 1964; after graduating from Spelman College, she became one of the first African-
10American women to study law at the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State
11University in Baton Rouge, where she received her juris doctorate degree in 1969; and
12 WHEREAS, upon completion of her law school studies, she took a position as the
13managing attorney with the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation and provided legal
14services to more than three thousand individuals in economically deprived neighborhoods;
15she also served as a civil litigator in the federal and state district courts and juvenile courts,
16working to advance the rights of children, the poor, the elderly, and the disenfranchised; and
17 WHEREAS, in 1981, she joined the New Orleans city attorney's staff and later
18became a deputy city attorney for New Orleans; during this time, she gained significant trial
19experience in the Civil District Court and U.S. District Court defending the city against
20claims of police brutality and general tort claims; she also served as a supervisor for
21litigations and appeals involving agencies of the city of New Orleans; and
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HCR NO. 16
1 WHEREAS, Chief Justice Johnson's judicial career began in 1984, after she became
2the first woman elected to the Civil District Court of New Orleans; in 1990, she was
3reelected to her office after running unopposed, and in 1994, her colleagues elected her to
4the position of chief judge; also in 1994, she was first elected to the Louisiana Supreme
5Court and was reelected without opposition in 2000 and 2010; she was sworn in as chief
6justice in 2013; and
7 WHEREAS, as a civil trial judge, Bernette Johnson was first assigned to the
8Domestic Relations Court, where she established a system to refer custody, alimony, and
9child support issues to mediation conducted by certified social workers of the Children's
10Bureau and Family Services prior to court appearances; and
11 WHEREAS, as a supreme court justice, Chief Justice Johnson served on the
12Louisiana Supreme Court's Judicial Council, the Louisiana Supreme Court's Legal Services
13Task Force, and the National Campaign on Best Practices in the area of Racial and Ethnic
14Fairness in the Courts; she has worked closely with the Louisiana Supreme Court's
15Mandatory Continuing Legal Education Committee and the Committee on Bar Admissions,
16and she was the Supreme Court's appointee to the Louisiana State Law Institute; and
17 WHEREAS, Chief Justice Johnson has received countless awards including the
18prestigious Joan Dempsey Klein Award from the National Association of Women Judges
19and the Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association's Commission on
20Racial and Ethnic Diversity in the Profession, and she was inducted into the National Bar
21Association's Hall of Fame and received the association's Distinguished Civil Rights
22Advocate Award; and
23 WHEREAS, Madame Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson has worked as an
24advocate for social justice, civil rights, and community organizing throughout her career, and
25her truly incredible career is most deserving of the highest praise and recognition.
26 THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of Louisiana does hereby
27commend Madame Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson on her retirement from the
28Louisiana Supreme Court; does hereby express genuine appreciation for her tireless pursuit
29of social justice and equality; does hereby recognize her illustrious career and numerous
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HCR NO. 16
1accomplishments; and does hereby extend sincere hopes and wishes for her continued good
2health and prosperity as she enters into her retirement.
3 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to
4Madame Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
DIGEST
The digest printed below was prepared by House Legislative Services. It constitutes no part
of the legislative instrument. The keyword, one-liner, abstract, and digest do not constitute
part of the law or proof or indicia of legislative intent. [R.S. 1:13(B) and 24:177(E)]
HCR 16 Original 2020 Regular Session Schexnayder
Commends Madame Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson of the La. Supreme Court on her
retirement.
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