List of first minority male lawyers and judges in Louisiana explained

This is a list of the first minority male lawyer(s) and judge(s) in Louisiana. It includes the year in which the men were admitted to practice law (in parentheses). Also included are men who achieved other distinctions such as becoming the first in their state to graduate from law school or become a political figure.

Firsts in state history

Lawyers

• C. Clay Morgan (1860):^[1] First African American male lawyer in Louisiana
• David A. Kattán:^[2] One of the first Latino American male lawyers in Louisiana

State judges

• Edouard Bermudez

^[3] First Creole male to serve as the Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court (1880)

• Israel M. "I.M." Augustine:^{[4] [5] [6]} First African American male judge in Louisiana (1969)
• Ernest "Dutch" Nathan Morial

^{[7] [8] [9]} First African American male to serve as a juvenile court judge in Louisiana (1970) and serve on the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal (1974)

• Don Johnson (1982) and Ron Johnson (1984):^[10] First set of (African American) twins to serve simultaneously as judges in Louisiana
• Freddie Pitcher (1973):^{[11] [12]} First African American male appointed as a Judge of the Nineteenth Judicial District of Louisiana (1987)
• Jesse N. Stone

^{[13] [14]} First African American male to serve as an (Associate Pro Tempore) Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court (1972)

• Revius Ortique Jr.:^{[15] [16]} First African American male to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court (1992)

Federal judges

• Robert Frederick Collins:^[17] First African American male to serve as a federal court judge in Louisiana (1978)
• Ivan L.R. Lemelle (1974):^[18] First African American male to serve as the United States Magistrate of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana (1984)
• Ralph E. Tyson (1973):^[19] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana (1998)
• Jerry Edwards Jr.:^[20] First African American male appointed as a Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (2023)

United States Attorneys

• Eddie Jordan, Jr.:^{[21] [22]} First African American male to serve as a U.S. Attorney in Louisiana (1994)^[23]
• Donald W. Washington:^[24] First African American male to serve as the United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana (2001)
• Ronald C. Gathe, Jr.:^[25] First African American male to serve as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana (2021)

Assistant United States Attorney

• Ernest "Dutch" Nathan Morial: First African American male to serve as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Louisiana (1965)

District Attorney

• Charles Shropshire:^[26] First African American male elected as a District Attorney in Louisiana (1996)

Assistant District Attorney

• J. Edward "Eddie" Hines Jr.:^{[27] [28]} First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Louisiana (1979)

Bar Association

• Wayne J. Lee:^[29] First African American male to serve as the President of the Louisiana State Bar Association

Firsts in local history

• Alvin Turner Jr.:^[30] First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney and a Judge of the 23rd Judicial District [<nowiki/>[[Ascension Parish, Louisiana|Ascension]], Assumption, and St. James Parishes, Louisiana]
• Jesse N. Stone: First African American lawyer in Shreveport, Louisiana [<nowiki/>[[Bossier Parish, Louisiana|Bossier]] and Caddo Parishes, Louisiana]
• John Belton:^[31] First African American male to serve as the District Attorney for the Third Judicial District in Louisiana [<nowiki/>[[Lincoln Parish, Louisiana|Lincoln]] and Union Parishes, Louisiana]
• James E. Stewart, Sr.:^{[32] [33]} First African American male to serve as the District Attorney of Caddo Parish, Louisiana (2015)
• Ernest Nathan Morial: First African American male to graduate from Louisiana State University law school [<nowiki/>[[East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]]
• Freddie Pitcher (1973): First African American male judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana [<nowiki/>[[East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]]
• Ralph E. Tyson (1973): First African American male to serve as a federal judge in Baton Rouge, Louisiana [<nowiki/>[[East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana]]]
• Nathan E. Wilson:^[34] First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana
• Charles Shropshire: First African American male elected as the District Attorney for East and West Feliciana Parishes, Louisiana (1996)
• Lionel R. Collins:^[35] First African American male judge in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
• Melvin Zeno:^[36] First African American male to serve as the Assistant District Attorney for Jefferson Parish, Louisiana
• Miguel A. Elias:^{[37] [38]} First Hispanic American male to serve as a Magistrate Judge for Kenner, Jefferson Parish, Louisiana (2004)
• Anthony Lewis:^[39] First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney in Lafourche Parish, Louisiana
• Earl J. Amedee:^{[40] [41]} First African American male to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana (1958)
• Ernest Nathan Morial

First African American male (a lawyer) to serve as the mayor and a judge in New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana

• Okla Jones II (1971):^[42] First African American male to serve as the City Attorney for the City of New Orleans, Orleans Parish, Louisiana (1986). He would later become a district court judge.
• Bruce James McConduit:^[43] First African American (male) elected to a municipal court judgeship in Orleans Parish, Louisiana (1986)
• Eddie Jordan, Jr:^{[44] [45]} First African American male to serve as the District Attorney of Orleans Parish, Louisiana (2003)
• Charles Jones:^[46] First African American male to serve as the Assistant District Attorney of Ouachita Parish, Louisiana
• William E. Armstrong:^[47] First African American male to serve as Monroe City Prosecutor [<nowiki/>[[Ouachita Parish, Louisiana]]]
• Larry Jefferson: First African American male elected as a Judge of the Monroe City Court (1990) [<nowiki/>[[Ouachita Parish, Louisiana]]]
• J. Edward "Eddie" Hines, Jr.: First African American male to serve as an Assistant District Attorney of Rapides Parish, Louisiana (1979)
• Louis Berry:^[48] First African American male lawyer in Alexandria, Louisiana
• Juan Pickett:^{[49] [50]} First African American male judge in Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana (2014)

See also

• List of first minority male lawyers and judges in the United States

Other topics of interest

• List of first women lawyers and judges in the United States
• List of first women lawyers and judges in Louisiana

Notes and References

1. Web site: History: Black Lawyers in Louisiana Prior to 1950. Emanuel. Rachel L.. Diversity in the Legal Profession. https://web.archive.org/web/20120912172927/http://www.lsba.org/documentindex/publications/Journal-Feature2-August2005.pdf. September 12, 2012. bot: unknown. October 8, 2016.
2. Web site: Muro . Maria . 2011-10-04 . Celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month . 2024-05-31 . New Orleans Living Magazine . en-US.
3. Childs . Miriam . 2023 . Edward Bermudez: Creole Chief Justice . De Novo: The Newsletter of the Law Library of Louisiana . 2.
4. News: Times . Roy Reed Special to The New York . 1971-07-10 . Man in the News . en-US . The New York Times . 2020-03-06 . 0362-4331.
5. Book: Flucker, Turry . African Americans of New Orleans . 2012-09-18 . Arcadia Publishing . 978-1-4396-2241-4 . en.
6. Morial. Marc H.. February 2013. From Augustine to Johnson: Toward Equal Justice. Louisiana Bar Journal. 60. 391–392.
7. Book: Smith, Jessie Carney. Black Firsts: 4,000 Ground-Breaking and Pioneering Historical Events. 2012-12-01. Visible Ink Press. 9781578594252.
8. News: Breaking down barriers for black Terrebonne Parish voters. NOLA.com. 2018-11-14. en-US.
9. Book: Emanuel. Rachel L.. A More Noble Cause: A. P. Tureaud and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Louisiana. Tureaud. Alexander P. Jr.. 2011-04-25. LSU Press. 978-0-8071-3942-4. en.
10. Web site: How twin brothers went from inner city Baton Rouge to making history as judges. writer. JOE GYAN JR Staff. The Advocate. en. 2020-03-06.
11. Web site: A Resolution Honoring Hon. Freddie Pitcher, Jr. for his many years of service as Chancellor of Southern University Law Center and to the Legal Profession of the State of Louisiana.. 2015. Louisiana State Bar Association.
12. Web site: Judge Freddie Pitcher, Jr. – CLEO Judges Hall of Fame. cleoinc.org. 2018-01-12.
13. Web site: Portrait brings memories of late Civil Rights leader Jesse N. Stone Jr.. shreveporttimes.com. en. 2019-07-22.
14. Book: Ball, Dr Rachel L. Emanuel and Carla. Southern University Law Center. 2018. Arcadia Publishing. 9781467127509. en.
15. News: Justice Ortique dies. NOLA.com. 2018-01-11.
16. Book: Flucker, Turry. African Americans of New Orleans. 2012-09-18. Arcadia Publishing. 9781439622414.
17. Web site: More Diversity on Federal Bench: Now is the Time. Morial. Marc H.. May 2009. Louisiana Bar Journal.
18. Web site: Diversity Trailblazers Eastern District of Louisiana United States District Court. www.laed.uscourts.gov. 2018-01-19.
19. Web site: Judge Ralph E. Tyson Honored as 2009 Distinguished Alumnus LSU Law – News. www.law.lsu.edu. 2018-01-19.
20. Web site: Senate confirms Shreveport attorney as first Black judge in Louisiana's Western District . 2023-12-15 . The Times . en-US.
21. Book: Woods, Clyde Adrian. Development Drowned and Reborn: The Blues and Bourbon Restorations in Post-Katrina New Orleans. 2017. University of Georgia Press. 978-0-8203-5092-9. en.
22. Book: Collins, Allyson. Shielded from Justice: Police Brutality and Accountability in the United States. 1998. Human Rights Watch. 978-1-56432-183-1. en.
23. Upon Jordan's appointment as a U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Louisiana in 1994
24. Web site: UNITED STATES ATTORNEY DONALD W. WASHINGTON TO LEAVE OFFICE. January 7, 2010. UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE.
25. Web site: 2021-03-01 . Meet the U.S. Attorney . 2022-04-15 . www.justice.gov . en.
26. Web site: Charles Shropshire passes away. WAFB9. en-US. 2020-03-11.
27. Web site: Rapides' First Black Assistant DA. Sigler. George. March 29, 1979. The Town Talk. en. 2020-03-11.
28. Web site: State's first black Assistant D.A. dies. January 26, 1992. The Town Talk. en. 2020-03-11.
29. Web site: Diversity & Inclusion. www.stonepigman.com. en-US. 2019-01-04.
30. Web site: East Ascension High School inducting two to Wall of Fame, one to athletic Hall of Fame. The Advocate. en. 2020-03-11.
31. Web site: Hilburn . Greg . Belton became first black DA . 2020-03-11 . thenewsstar.com . en.
32. Web site: Caddo Parish Elects First Black District Attorney As Spotlight Shines on Death Penalty and Jury Selection Controversies. Death Penalty Information Center. en-US. 2020-03-11.
33. Web site: Stewart wins Caddo DA race. Burris. Alexandria. shreveporttimes.com. en. 2020-03-11.
34. Book: Ball, Dr Rachel L. Emanuel and Carla. Southern University Law Center. 2018. Arcadia Publishing. 978-1-4671-2750-9. en.
35. Web site: More Diversity on Federal Bench: Now is the Time. Morial. Marc H.. May 2009. Louisiana Bar Journal.
36. Web site: Schleifstein . Mark . 2023-08-01 . John Mamoulides, Jefferson Parish district attorney and political kingmaker, dies at 90 . 2023-11-30 . NOLA.com . en.
37. Web site: ABOUT MIGUEL A. ELIAS . 2023-08-01 . Mysite 3 . en.
38. Web site: ROBERTS III . FAIMON A. . 2022-04-15 . More minority districts for the Jefferson Parish School Board? They're needed, some argue. . 2023-08-01 . NOLA.com . en.
39. Web site: Lafourche NAACP banquet celebrates community, freedom. Writer. Nikki BuskeyStaff. Houma Today. en. 2020-03-11.
40. Book: Walton. Hanes Jr.. The African American Electorate. Puckett. Sherman. Deskins. Donald R. Jr.. 2012-07-20. SAGE. 978-0-87289-508-9. en.
41. Book: Brown, Sarah Hart. Standing Against Dragons: Three Southern Lawyers in an Era of Fear. 2000-03-01. LSU Press. 978-0-8071-4241-7. en.
42. Web site: Okla Jones II Eastern District of Louisiana United States District Court. www.laed.uscourts.gov. 2018-01-19.
43. Web site: POPE . JOHN . Bruce McConduit, first African American elected to Municipal Court bench, dead at 70 . 2022-03-02 . NOLA.com . en.
44. Web site: New Orleans' First Black District Attorney Eddie Jordan Jr.. 2017-12-06. Black Then. en-US. 2020-03-11.
45. Web site: A lesson on racism they might understand. Pitts. Leonard Jr.. baltimoresun.com. en-US. 2020-03-11.
46. News: Blacks in History: Charles Jones served as the first black assistant district attorney in Ouachita Parish.... February 23, 1999. News-Star.
47. News: . Robinson . Ian . Here are some Black firsts in Ouachita Parish . News-Star . 3 February 2023 . A.1 .
48. News: . Martinez . Melinda . Local attorney changed course of Civil Rights in LA . The Town Talk . 28 Feb 2024 . A.4 .
49. News: State seeks to overturn minority judge ruling. Schwartz. Natalie. Daily Comet. 2018-11-14. en.
50. News: The judge has made his ruling; now what next? No easy path ahead. DeSantis. John. The Times of Houma-Thibodaux. 2018-11-14. en.