Retired Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Commissioner Joseph I. Giarrusso Jr., 60, died Wednesday, September 12, 2012. He served as a magistrate commissioner from 1992 until his retirement in December, 2006. A magna cum laude graduate of Georgetown University, he earned his JD degree from Tulane University and a Master of Pastoral Studies from Loyola University. Giarrusso helped to create the first dedicated Domestic Violence Section of Criminal District Court as a specialized court. He also served as an assistant district attorney, assistant United States attorney and was appointed the first director of central staff for the Louisiana Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal. In 1990, Commissioner Giarrusso was a co-recipient of the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Capital Defense Advocacy Award and had testified before the House Subcommittee on Civil and Constitutional Rights concerning habeas corpus reform. Additionally, he previously served as chair of the New Orleans Bar Association Criminal Law Committee. He published numerous articles in law journals and participated as a guest lecturer at the FBI Academy. He was a sustaining member of Phi Beta Kappa.