[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 214 (Thursday, December 17, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1174]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    HONORING THE RETIREMENT OF CHIEF JUSTICE BERNETTE JOSHUA JOHNSON

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                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, December 17, 2020

  Mr. RICHMOND. Madam Speaker, I rise to honor the retirement of Chief 
Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson who serves as the Louisiana Supreme 
Court 25th Chief Justice. She is the second female Chief Justice and 
the Court's first ever African American Chief Justice.
  A native of Donaldsville, Louisiana, Chief Justice Johnson graduated 
from Spelman College in 1964 and became one of the first African 
American women at Louisiana State University Law Center to earn her 
Juris Doctorate Degree in 1969.
  During the 1960's Chief Justice Johnson worked as a community 
organizer with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored 
People (NAACP) Legal Defense and Education Fund and at the U.S. 
Department of Justice's Civil Rights Division. After graduating from 
law school, Chief Justice Johnson served as the Managing Attorney of 
the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation (NOLAC). In that role she 
provided legal services to over 3,000 clients in underprivileged 
communities. In an effort to help improve civil rights for 
underrepresented communities, Chief Justice Johnson also worked in 
federal, state, and juvenile courts. In 1981, she joined the New 
Orleans City Attorney's Office and later became a Deputy City Attorney 
for the City of New Orleans. She also served as a supervisor for the 
litigations and appeals involving agencies of the City of New Orleans.
  In 1984 Chief Justice Johnson was elected as the first woman to serve 
on the Civil District Court of New Orleans. Six years later she was 
easily re-elected and faced no opposition. In 1994, she was elected by 
her peers to ascend to Chief Judge. Shortly after, she was elected to 
serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court where she would ultimately be re-
elected in 2000 and 2010 with no opposition. In 2013, she became Chief 
Justice of Louisiana's highest court.
  Not only has Chief Justice Johnson been instrumental on the Court, 
she has also been a pillar of her community. She has served in several 
leadership roles including as an Executive Committee Member of the 
National Alumnae Association of Spelman College, as the Chair of the 
New Orleans Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, 
and as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Young Women Christian 
Association, amongst others.
  Chief Justice Johnson is also the recipient of numerous awards 
including the 2020 National Association of Women Judges Lady Justice 
Award, the National Bar Association Judicial Council's 2019 William H. 
Hastie Award, the National Bar Association's 2019 Gertrude E. Rush 
Award, and Louisiana State University's 2013 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther 
King Unsung Hero Award. Additionally, she was inducted into the 
National Bar Association and Louisiana State University Law Center 
Halls of Fame.
  Chief Justice Johnson is a treasure to the city of New Orleans and 
the state of Louisiana. As the first African American Chief Justice of 
the Louisiana Supreme Court, Chief Justice Johnson is a trailblazer 
whose judicial career and dedication to public service is unrivaled. I 
am grateful for her service in the fight for justice and equality.
  Madam Speaker, I celebrate Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson on 
her retirement from the Louisiana Supreme Court.

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