On November 10, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which 40 individuals became new United States citizens.  The new citizens originated from countries around the world, exemplifying the truly diverse character of the United States citizenry.  The Honorable Jane Triche Milazzo, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, presided over the ceremony.  Tulane University’s Airforce ROTC Color Guard presented the colors for the National Anthem, and the Daughters of the American Revolution led the Pledge of Allegiance.  Attorney Michael Ecuyer, President-Elect of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, served as keynote speaker, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Elizabeth Chickering certified the candidates’ eligibility for citizenship.  Deputy Clerk Sherry Adams administered the Oath of Allegiance, and Judge Milazzo provided closing remarks and distributed Certificates of Naturalization to the newly naturalized citizens.  The New Orleans Chapter of the League of Women Voters was present to help new citizens register to vote, and the U.S. Passport Agency was on-hand to provide new citizens with information on obtaining a passport.  The ceremony was a joyous occasion for all in attendance.  To view photographs of the ceremony, please select this link.      

The Court has issued its First Amendment to Hurricane Ida Case Management Order No. 1. The features of the amendment are as follows:  • The amendment encourages the parties to use the two forms attached to it as Exhibits B & C to set forth their respective settlement positions at the informal settlement conference and mediation. It creates a uniform method for doing so.  • The amendment eliminates the requirement that the parties affirmatively contact the Court or Program Administrator (“PA”) to request a mediation be set, replacing it with an automatic 75-day window for disclosures and informal settlement conference, after which the PA will automatically set the case for mediation.  • The one-time limit on deadlines is extended to 21 days, consistent with LR 7.8.  • The appointment of umpires where appraisal is invoked will be resolved solely by the Chief Magistrate Judge rather than the presiding Magistrate Judge. View this PDF View CMO Exhibit B View CMO Exhibit C

Pursuant to Case Management Order No. 1, In re Hurricane Ida Claims, the Court hereby appoints Mediation Support Services, L.L.C. as Program Administrator for the Court’s Streamlined Settlement Program. The Court also appoints 30 individuals as neutrals for the Program. For more information, please see the orders below. View this PDF – Neutrals List View this PDF – Program Administrator Appointment  

On August 4, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which thirty-six individuals from twenty-three countries across the globe became U.S. citizens.  The Honorable Wendy B. Vitter, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, presided over the ceremony.   The Jesuit ROTC Color Guard presented the colors for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, which was followed by a keynote speech by the Honorable Bernadette D’Souza, Chief Judge for the Orleans Civil District Court.  Chief Judge D’Souza, a native of Goa, India, told her personal story of immigration and citizenship, and recounted how with the encouragement of her beloved husband and children, she was able to achieve her life-long dream of becoming a lawyer.  She impressed upon the candidates the notion that with hard work and determination, their goals and dreams could be fully realized in these great United States.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Gutierrez served as the U.S. Attorney General’s designee and certified the candidates’ eligibility for naturalization.  The candidates then swore an oath of allegiance to the United States, as administered by Judge Vitter, thus becoming fully-fledged United States citizens.  Afterwards, the candidates were invited to register to vote at a table staffed by volunteers from the New Orleans Chapter of the League of Women Voters. U.S. Passport Agency employees were also on hand to provide information to the newly, sworn-in citizens.  To view photographs from the ceremony, please select this link.