Our legal system is founded on the principles of fairness and equity, but statistical and anecdotal evidence prove that our courtrooms and law offices are not fair and equitable in the treatment of lawyers. In this CLE, numerous presenters (you will know many of them!) will act out common scenarios within legal organizations and legal culture—for example, a hiring committee meeting, mentorship assignments, junior attorney evaluations, and file-staffing or promotion discussions. Topics woven into the hypothetical situations will showcase things like affinity bias, performance bias, the maternal wall, and intersectionality. A panel and the audience will comment on each scenario, share lived experiences, and provide concrete advice for how to handle similar situations in the future.
Presenters include Judge Susie Morgan, Judge Darrel Papillion, Kelly Becker, Magdalen Blessey Bickford, Brandon Davis, Harold Flanagan, Valerie Fontenot, Amy McIntire, Kerry Miller, Rachel Naquin, Cayce Peterson, Brittany Reed, Bradley Schwab, Gerald "Jess" Waltman, Graham Williams, Rick Yelton, J. Christopher Zainey, Jr., Haley Zhu-Butler. The presentation will be moderated by Judge Janis van Meerveld, Chloé Chetta, and Atoyia Harris.
This event is co-sponsored by The Eastern District of Louisiana, The New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, The Association for Women Attorneys, The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, The Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and The New Orleans Bar Association.
Register now using the link below or by scanning the QR code.
Registration for Women's History Month CLE - A Seat at the Table
You are here
News & Announcements
Check this page, or the News and Announcements box on the homepage, for the latest official news and announcements released by the court. You can also access archived news and announcements from this page.
February 18, 2025
The Court completed a required upgrade to its CM/ECF system Saturday morning (Feb. 15). The update unexpectedly prevented attorneys from electronically filing pleadings between the mornings of February 15 and Tuesday, February 18, 2025. The Court has resolved the issue and apologizes for the outage. Attorneys are reminded to consult the Court’s administrative procedures for guidance concerning technical failures.
February 5, 2025
The Court has amended its Local Civil Rules to add Rule 83.5.1, which provides for a 21-day stay of any order transferring a case to a district court outside the Fifth Circuit in certain circumstances. The amendment is effective February 4, 2025. Here is the full text of the amendment:
LOCAL CIVIL RULE 83.5.1
TRANSFER ORDERS
Unless all affected parties consent to the transfer, an order that transfers a case to a district court outside the Fifth Circuit is stayed for 21 days from the date the order is entered on the docket. This rule does not apply to transfer orders of the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.
The Court’s order amending the Local Civil Rules can be found here.
A copy of the complete Local Civil Rules can be found here.
February 5, 2025
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which 24 petitioners became United States citizens. The Honorable Darrel J. Papillion, U.S. District Judge, presided over the January 28 ceremony. He welcomed and congratulated the petitioners and then invited everyone to stand for the playing of the National Anthem by the Marine Forces Reserve Band and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, led by representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Judge Papillion then invited keynote speakers Mr. David Abboud Thomas and Dr. Najeeb M. Thomas to provide remarks. The two brothers spoke of their experiences as grandchildren of Lebanese immigrants. David reflected lovingly on his grandmother’s American pride, while Dr. Thomas admired his grandparents’ brave journey to the U.S. to escape hardships and give their family more opportunities. “The U.S. is a patchwork quilt, stitched together by immigrant hands,” Dr. Thomas said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee Goudeau then issued the statement of petitioners’ eligibility for citizenship and presented petitioners’ requests for name change. After granting the requests for name change, Judge Papillion invited the petitioners to announce their names and countries of origin before he administered the Oath of Allegiance. Petitioners were then given their certificates and took pictures with Judge Papillion and their families.
To view photos from the ceremony, please select this link.
January 27, 2025
In honor of African American History Month, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana presents a virtual tour and engagement with the exhibit “Captive State: Louisiana and the Making of Mass Incarceration,” now on view at the Historic New Orleans Collection. Wednesday, February 12 from noon-1 pm, in Courtroom 501 and by Zoom. There is no charge for this 1-hour CLE with lunch provided to in-person attendees, but advance registration is required at https://forms.office.com/g/y28G0Exum2. Please see the Eastern District of Louisiana website, www.laed.uscourts.gov, for additional information and for updates. Special thanks to the Historic New Orleans Collection and to our co-sponsors: the New Orleans Bar Association, the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, and the New Orleans Chapter of the Association for Women Attorneys.
January 24, 2025
On November 20, 2024, the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana and New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association presented the 33rd Annual Judge Alvin B. Rubin Symposium to a packed en banc courtroom, with many more joining via Zoom. As with the James Meredith case reenacted last year, the historic courtroom reenactment selected for this year’s Rubin Symposium—Vietnamese Fishermen vs. The Ku Klux Klan—also had strong ties to the geographic footprint of the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, where Judge Rubin served with distinction for over a decade. The all-star cast featured Judge Darrel J. Papillion as plaintiffs’ attorney Morris Dees and Federal Public Defender Claude Kelly as antagonist Louis Beam, the college-educated Grand Dragon of the Texas Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown read from the Southern District of Texas’s early-1980s opinions enjoining the Klan’s unlawful threats and intimidation tactics against the Vietnamese fishermen around Galveston and closing Beam’s private paramilitary training programs in Texas.
The Symposium continued with a panel discussion led by U.S. Magistrate Judge Eva Dossier on the elusive concept of the rule of law – what it is, what it means for practitioners, and how it’s been historically challenged. The Rubin Symposium concluded with a reception in the lobby of the courthouse featuring a variety of delicious Vietnamese foods catered by Thanh Thanh Restaurant of Gretna.
Additional Photographs of the play can be seen here.
January 10, 2025
The New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, along with the Family and Friends of the Honorable Helen “Ginger” Berrigan, will celebrate her life and legacy on Thursday, January 16, 2025, at 4:00 p.m., in the United States District Courthouse, 500 Poydras Street, Courtroom C-501, New Orleans, Louisiana. The public is invited to attend.
January 2, 2025
The court will be closed Thursday, January 9, 2025, in observance of the National Day of Mourning in memory of former President Carter.
December 20, 2024
Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown signed two orders on behalf of the en banc Court pertaining to Hurricane Ida insurance claims on December 18, 2024.
One order requires counsel for defendants/insurers to file a Notice of Settlement for any case that has been resolved but still remains on the Court’s docket. The notices must be submitted within 21 days of the Dec. 18 order.
The other order pertains to cases in which the McClenny, Mosely & Associates law firm represented insureds. The order observes that notwithstanding bankruptcy court orders in another district, the Chief Magistrate Judge in this district has twice found that the MMA firm “voluntarily and knowingly waived and forfeited whatever rights it may have had in fees and/or costs in its former cases in this District before it declared bankruptcy.” Accordingly, the Court orders that “(1) no portion of settlement proceeds is required to be held in trust in this District and (2) insurers should immediately cease insisting on listing MMA as a payee on settlement checks.”
The full orders, including the referenced opinions, are available here:
Order regarding Notices of Settlement
Order regarding MMA cases
December 17, 2024
IN MEMORIAM
Honorable Louis Moore, Jr.
June 13, 1947 to December 16, 2024
United States Magistrate Judge
May 20, 1985 to June 13, 2012
The judges of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana sadly announce the death of retired U.S. Magistrate Judge Louis Moore, who served the Court as a magistrate judge for 27 years. Before taking the bench, he enjoyed a career in public service as a prosecutor on both the state and federal levels and on the federal level as a public defender. Admired for his patient, humble demeanor as a judge, he was also recognized for his booming voice and speaking cadence that filled courtrooms and persuaded juries during his career as a lawyer.
A native of Bogalusa, La., Judge Moore received his bachelor’s and law degrees from Southern University A & M. He began his legal career in 1973 as a prosecutor in the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office. When John Volz left that office to become the Federal Public Defender in the Eastern District of Louisiana, he hand-picked Moore to join him in practicing in federal court. In 1978, Judge Moore joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office, rising to become chief deputy of the criminal division. He was appointed a magistrate judge on May 20, 1985, and retired on June 13, 2012.
“It is with a heavy heart that we say goodbye to our esteemed colleague, Judge Louie Moore,” said Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown. “He was well known for his kind temperament, collegial personality and willingness to guide and teach others. He will be sorely missed.”
Judge Lance Africk remembered Moore as “a wonderful human being and a cherished colleague” at both the Court and the U.S. Attorney’s Office. “I learned a great deal from him, and I am grateful for the opportunity I had to work with him,” he said. “I cannot recollect ever hearing a harsh word about Louis. We will miss him.”
Judge Ivan Lemelle recalled defending cases that Moore prosecuted and praised Judge Moore as a “teaching judge” who showed great compassion. “He was a true friend, dedicated colleague, and an eloquent orator,” he said.
Magistrate Judge Karen Wells Roby described Judge Moore as a “truly kind and decent person” who was particularly generous with his time when she was first appointed to the bench. “Affectionately, I called him the ‘Professor,’” she said.
Following his retirement, he devoted his time to his family and to church activities, and was known for his rich baritone singing voice.
Judge Moore is survived by his wife, Earlean, their two children, and grandchildren who live in Baton Rouge, La. Funeral arrangements are pending.