A new law in town

Six new judges sworn in
at Covington ceremony

By Chad Ruiz
St. Tammany News
Published on Monday, January 12, 2009 8:49 AM CST

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

Thanks to Friday’s ceremonial swearing in held at the Covington Courthouse, the 22nd Judicial District Court now has six new members, an unprecedented number. The newcomers are filling the places of four judges who stepped down from the bench before last fall’s elections and the two new seats created by the Legislature for family and juvenile court cases.

The ceremony featured keynote speaker Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine Kimball who praised St. Tammany’s court system as “always being ahead of the game” compared to other districts in the state.

The incoming judges were A. J. Hand taking over Elaine Dimiceli’s Division B seat; Richard “Rick” Swartz taking over Patricia Hedges’ Division C seat; William J. Crain taking over Larry Green’s Division G seat and Allison Penzato taking over Donald Fendlason’s Division H seat. Divisions K and L, the newly created seats, now have Mary Devereux and Dawn Amacker presiding over them.

Newcomer judges William J. Crain, A. J. Hand, Mary Devereux, Richard Swartz, Allison Penzato and Dawn Amacker donned their new robes at the ceremonial swearing in held at the Covington Courthouse. (Staff Photo by Chad Ruiz)

Incumbent judges Martin Coady, William Burris, Peter Garcia, Reginald Badeaux, III, Raymond Childress and William Knight were also present for the swearing in.

The 22nd Judicial District Court covers both St. Tammany and Washington parishes. The ceremony was held at the Covington Courthouse at 2 p.m. with an earlier ceremony held prior in Franklinton at the Washington Parish Courthouse at 10 a.m.

Print this story | Email this story | Post A Comment |

Comments

No comments posted.

WRITE A COMMENT

Use the form below to post a brief comment to this story, or respond to other readers. Please use the word count tool to assist you in keeping your remarks to 100 words or fewer.

Comment posters are responsible for the opinions they express and the accuracy of the information they provide. We urge comment writers to treat this as a public forum where manners matter. We encourage a collegial, non-insulting tone. All readers comments must be approved by our staff before posting to the Web site. They review submitted comments periodically during the day for offensive or off-topic content before posting. Be aware, in accordance with the Communications Decency Act and provisions upheld in judicial appeal, that you are responsible for comments posted on this Web site. The St. Tammany News is not liable for messages from third parties.

DO NOT POST:
* Potentially libelous statements or damaging innuendo.
* Obscene, explicit, or racist language.
* Personal attacks, insults or threats.
* The use of another person's real name to disguise your identity.
* Comments unrelated to the story.
* Personal Information (phone numbers, addresses, etc.)

Opinions, advice and all other information expressed in thesttammanynews.com's reader comments represent the individual's own views and not necessarily those of the St. Tammany News. The St. Tammany News does not endorse and is not responsible for statements, advice or opinions offered by anyone other than authorized St. Tammany News spokespersons.

Your thoughtful contribution to the online discussion is appreciated.