The Honorable Bernette Johnson

Judge Bernette Joshua Johnson was born on June 17, 1943 in Donaldsonville, Louisiana, to Frank Joshua, Jr. and Olivia Wire Joshua. She received her B.A. degree in political science and English from Spelman College in Atlanta, Georgia in 1964 and her J.D. degree from the Louisiana State University Law School in Baton Rouge in 1969.

After graduating from law school, Johnson worked as a managing attorney with the New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation (NOLAC) in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1978, Johnson served as a director for the American Foundation for Negro Affairs (AFNA) before joining the New Orleans City Attorney’s Office in 1981, where she was promoted to deputy city attorney. Johnson was then elected to the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in 1984, becoming the first female to serve on the court. She worked at the Orleans Parish Civil District Court for ten years and served as chief judge in 1994. Johnson also became the first African American woman to serve in the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1994. Furthermore, Johnson swore in as the chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court on February 1, 2013, making her the first African American to serve in this position. Johnson retired from the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2020.

Johnson also served as a member on the boards of the National Bar Association Judicial Council, the New Orleans Aviation Board, and the Innocence Project.

Johnson has received numerous awards and honors including the Margaret Brent Award from the American Bar Association in 1998, a Distinguished Jurist Award from the Louisiana State Bar Association in 2009, the Spirit of Excellence Award from the American Bar Association in 2010, and the Gertrude E. Rush Award from the National Bar Association in 2019. Johnson was inducted into the Louisiana State University Law Hall of Fame in 1996 and the National Bar Association Hall of Fame in 2010. Johnson also received an honorary doctorate degree in law from her alma mater, Spelman College, in 2001. The Louisiana State Bar Association established the Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson Trailblazer Award in 2016.

Johnson lives in New Orleans, Louisiana.

The Honorable Bernette Joshua Johnson was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on December 14, 2023.