1825 Louisiana Civil Code Bicentennial CLE–Friday May 30, 2025

On Friday, May 30, 2025, the final CLE program in the months-long commemoration of the bicentennial of the 1825 Louisiana Civil Code took place on the campus of Southern University’s Law Center (SULC) in Baton Rouge. The program began with opening remarks by SULC Professor Donald North. SULC Vice Chancellor and Justice Revius O. Ortique, Jr. Endowed Professor Shawn D. Vance discussed his paper, entitled “A Mirror to Society – The Legacy of the 1825 Civil Code of Louisiana: What We Are, What We Could Have Been, and What We Will Be.” Professor Vance provided an overview of the 1825 Civil Code, its authors, and the process leading up to its promulgation. He discussed Louisiana’s French and Spanish history before the Louisiana Purchase as well as the slave revolt in St. Domingue, which led many people to come to Louisiana as refugees. Professor Vance drew from articles written by John T. Hood (on the 150th anniversary of the 1825 Civil Code) and Shael Herman (on the Code of Practice). Professor Vance was followed by Ana Litvinoff, daughter of LSU Law Professor and civil law scholar Saul Litvinoff, who expressed how much her father loved the Civil Code and his students. As a supporter of forced heirship, Saul Litvinoff once said that parents can divorce as many spouses as they wish, but “no one can divorce their children.”  Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society Board Chair E. Phelps Gay talked about the Historical Society and the Bicentennial Commemoration, and recognized the invaluable contributions Board member Dr. Rachel Emanuel has made to the Society over the years. The proceedings concluded with eloquent remarks by Louisiana Supreme Court Justice John M. Guidry on the importance of the Civil Code and the need for judges and justices to follow the “legislative will” expressed in the Code.  

Photo caption, l-r:

SULC Professor Donald North; E. Phelps Gay; SULC Professor Shawn D. Vance; Ana Litvinoff; Justice John M. Guidry