Louisiana Supreme Court issued the following announcement on Dec. 8.
The Louisiana Supreme Court announced today that the Louisiana Supreme Court Museum will be officially named the Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Supreme Court Museum, in tribute to Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, who will retire on December 31, 2020, after over three decades as a Louisiana judge and then justice. Chief Justice Johnson served as the Supreme Court’s 25th Chief Justice and the first African-American and second female Chief Justice. The Museum is currently housed in the Chief Justice Pascal F. Calogero, Jr. Courthouse at 400 Royal Street in New Orleans. The official naming was proposed to the Court by the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society.
"I have a commitment to the fair application of justice, first in my role as Chief Justice but also to leave a legacy to those who follow in my path as I was inspired by many of the jurists whose accomplishments are memorialized in the Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Supreme Court Museum,” said Chief Justice Johnson. “I am pleased that the Museum further commemorates that commitment and am honored and thankful to the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society and my colleagues, the present Justices on the bench, for this honor.”
The Museum includes portraits of all 25 Chief Justices who have presided over the Louisiana Supreme Court throughout history. Additional display cases include just a few of the many awards and recognitions received by Chief Justice Johnson. Additionally, the Museum contains a replica of the building, historical papers from the Plessy v. Ferguson case, which originated in New Orleans, and information on New Orleans Colonial Law and Louisiana Civil Code. The Museum is also home to the “Women in the Law” exhibit, a historical timeline chronicling women’s “firsts”
achievements in law, highlighting their determination, commitment, and often under-recognized contributions to jurisprudence. The Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society debuted the exhibit along with Chief Justice Johnson during her service as co-chair of the Annual National Association of Women Judges Conference in October 2013 when over 300 national and international women judges convened in New Orleans. Additional displays curated by the Law Library of Louisiana rotate throughout the year.
The Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Supreme Court Museum is located on the first floor of the Chief Justice Pascal F. Calogero, Jr. Courthouse in New Orleans, which is currently closed to the public due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Original source can be found here.