--- title: "Bernette J. Johnson | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernette-j-johnson-4583" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # Bernette J. Johnson Supreme Court of Louisiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: Supreme Court of Louisiana - State: Louisiana - Role: Judge - Service status: former - Last verified: 2026-08-22 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - Judge, Supreme Court of Louisiana, 1994-present - Bernette Joshua Johnson is a retired American judge who held the role of the first African American Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 2013 to 2020 - court: Supreme Court of Louisiana · role: Chief Justice · start date: 2013-02-01 · end date: 2020-12-31 · notes: 25th Chief Justice, first African-American Chief Justice, second female Chief Justice - As the senior justice, she was sworn in as Chief Justice on February 1, 2013, succeeding Catherine Kimball - court: Supreme Court of Louisiana · role: Associate Justice · start date: 1994-10-31 · end date: 2013-01-31 · notes: 7th Supreme Court District (Orleans and Jefferson Parishes); elected 1994, reelected 2000 and 2010 unopposed - In 1990 she was re-elected, and in 1994 became Chief Judge of that court - court: Orleans Parish Civil District Court · role: Judge · start date: 1984 · end date: 1994 · notes: First woman elected to Civil District Court; elected Chief Judge 1994 - She subsequently served in the New Orleans City Attorney’s Office and was elected in 1984 to the Orleans Parish Civil District Court, becoming its first woman judge - After law school, Johnson served as Managing Attorney for the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation (1969–1973), providing legal aid to low-income clients. - She interned at the U.S. Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division while in law school - Bernette Johnson is recognized as a trailblazer in the judiciary, breaking barriers as the first African American woman to serve on the Louisiana Supreme Court and as its first Chief Justice ### Education - LL.D. — Spelman College — 2001 — Law - She then became one of the first African American women to graduate from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University, receiving her — J.D. (1969) - Spelman College — Political Science — B.A. (1964) - Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College — J.D. ### Additional information - Retired from the Supreme Court on December 31, 2020 - The Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer Award (Louisiana State Bar Association, 2016) - In 1994, she was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court and re-elected in 2000 and 2010. - prof, 1993-1993 - Deputy City Attorney — City of New Orleans · start year: 1981 · end year: 1984 - Legal Services Attorney — New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation (NOLAC) · start year: 1969 · end year: 1973 - Born June 17, 1943, Donaldsonville, Louisiana. - Date of birth: 1943-01-01 - Community Organizer — NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund - Honorary Doctorate of Laws ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### electronic or photographic presentation of evidence Scope: statewide Louisiana trial judges may authorize electronic or photographic means for presenting evidence, preserving the record, counsel use, or judicial-administration purposes. Evidence excerpt: A trial judge may authorize ... the use of electronic or photographic means for the presentation of evidence [Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3A(9)](https://www.lasc.org/Court_Rules?p=CJC) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### broadcast recording photography Scope: statewide Louisiana judges generally prohibit broadcasting, televising, recording, or photographing courtroom proceedings unless a Canon 3A(9) exception applies. Evidence excerpt: a judge shall prohibit broadcasting, televising, recording, or taking photographs in the courtroom [Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3A(9)](https://www.lasc.org/Court_Rules?p=CJC) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### appellate extended media coverage Scope: statewide Louisiana appellate courts may permit extended media coverage in public appellate proceedings, subject to the authority of the court and presiding judge or panel. Evidence excerpt: An appellate court may permit broadcasting, televising, recording, and taking photographs of public judicial proceedings [Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3A(9)](https://www.lasc.org/Court_Rules?p=CJC) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4583/bernette-j-johnson/) - [Official roster](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4583/bernette-j-johnson/) - [Supreme Court of Louisiana current judicial profile](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4583/bernette-j-johnson/) - [Louisiana Code of Judicial Conduct, Canon 3A(9)](https://www.lasc.org/Court_Rules?p=CJC) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4583/bernette-j-johnson/) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernette-j-johnson-4583) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://law.lsu.edu/ccls/lecture/201/) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://ballotpedia.org/Bernette_Johnson) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://lasc.libguides.com/ld.php?content_id=60230299) - [CourtListener judicial biographical directory](https://www.courtlistener.com/person/4583/bernette-j-johnson/) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernette-j-johnson-4583", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/bernette-j-johnson-4583", "name": "Bernette J. 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