Celebrating 200 years

The Louisiana Supreme Court celebrated its 200^th anniversary on March 1, 2013. The Louisiana Supreme Court first convened in New Orleans on March 1, 1813. Present at the Court’s first session in 1813 were judges Dominick A. Hall (presiding) and George Mathews. The bicentennial ceremony, which commemorated the Court’s two centuries of legal heritage, was held as a special session of the Louisiana Supreme Court. The ceremony took place in the 4^th floor courtroom, and an overflow room with a monitor accommodated the many guests in attendance. The event was free and open to the public, with the option of one hour of CLE accreditation for Louisiana attorneys. Justice Greg G. Guidry chaired the Court’s Bicentennial Committee, which was in charge of planning the ceremony.

Louisiana Lieutenant Governor Jay Dardenne served as the master of ceremonies. After Lieutenant Governor Dardenne’s opening address, the Washington Artillery presented the colors, which was followed by the Pledge of Allegiance, led by Donna D. Fraiche, President of The Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society. Bishop Shelton J. Fabre gave the invocation, and Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson delivered welcoming remarks to the attendees.

The main portion of the ceremony featured four speakers who discussed various aspects of the Court’s history, including: A Walk Through the Streets of New Orleans at the Time of the Court’s Foundation, by Senior Professor of Practice at Tulane School of Architecture Richard Campanella; The Civilian Aspects of Louisiana Law, by LSU Louis B. Porterie Professor of Law John Randall Trahan; The Role of the Louisiana Supreme Court in the Early Civil Rights Movement, by UNO Emeritus professor of history Raphael Cassimere, Jr.; and The History of the Louisiana Supreme Court, by UNO Emeritus Distinguished Professor of History and Bicentennial Court Historian Warren M. Billings.

Students from the International High School of New Orleans took the stage following the speakers to present a short, trilingual play entitled An Uncommon Birth: Shaping Louisiana’s Legal Tradition for Statehood, written by New Orleans attorney Barry Ashe. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Justice Jeannette T. Knoll led the audience in a stately rendition of the National Anthem. The Lusher Charter High School Jazz Band provided lively entertainment at the reception afterwards on the first floor.

The Court’s centennial was celebrated in 1913 with a ceremony featuring well-known attorneys and politicians of the day. It was only fitting that the Court commemorated its next hundred years with another big celebration. A brand new website containing digitized versions of some of the earliest Louisiana Supreme Court historical documents can be viewed at http://www.lasc.org/Bicentennial/home.aspx.