1825 Civil Code Bicentennial – Moreau Lislet and the Birth of the Civil Code – March 13, 2025

On March 13 at the University Louisiana Monroe Library, Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Jay B. McCallum presented a biographical sketch of Louis Casimir Elisabeth Moreau-Lislet and Lislet’s essential contribution to the creation of the 1825 Civil Code of Louisiana. Justice McCallum began his tenure as an Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court on November 13, 2020. He was elected from District 4, the largest Supreme Court District in terms of geographical size and number of parishes. He serves on a number of committees including the Louisiana Sheriff’s Executive Management Institute, the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, and the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society and was appointed by his fellow justices to serve on the Louisiana State Law Institute. Prior to becoming a Supreme Court Justice, Justice McCallum was elected and served as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for 11 years, as a trial judge at the Third Judicial District Court for 15 years and in 2018 was elected without opposition to serve on the Second Circuit Court of Appeal. In addition to an undergraduate degree from Northeast Louisiana University and a law degree from L.S.U., Jay holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Judge Jay, as he is known to many of his constituents, is a much sought after motivational and inspirational speaker for various religious, civic, business, and trade groups. He and his wife, Deanna, are members of First Baptist Church, Farmerville, Louisiana, have two children and three grandchildren.