Political Quotes

“I rise today to recognize a trailblazer and role model: Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Bernette J. Johnson. On February 1, 2013, Justice Johnson will become Louisiana's first African-American Chief Justice and only the second female jurist in Louisiana history to hold that office. It is fitting that the first woman elected to the Civil District Court of New Orleans--a woman who has devoted so much of her life to working as an advocate for social justice, civil rights and community organizing--would achieve this historic milestone. Justice Johnson's commitment to civil rights began in the 1960s, when she began working as a community organizer with the NAACP Legal Defense & Educational Fund. She worked with community groups in Alabama, Mississippi, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Louisiana, disseminating information about recent school desegregation decisions and encouraging parents to take advantage of newly desegregated schools. Justice Johnson brings a unique perspective to the bench that is informed by principles of justice and equity. An alumnus of Spelman College in Atlanta, Justice Johnson received her Juris Doctor Degree at the Law School at Louisiana State University, where her portrait now hangs in the Law Center's Hall of Fame. While in law school, she worked at the U.S. Department of Justice examining cases filed by the Department to implement the 1964 Civil Rights Act.…”