Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson hosted Port-au-Prince Bar Association Bâtonnier Stanley Gaston, April 3, at the Louisiana Supreme Court building - Press Release

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<div align="left"><table bgcolor="#428bca" border="1" bordercolor="#357ebd" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" width="100%"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td bgcolor="#428bca" height="21" valign="middle" width="100%"><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#ffffff;">2018 Press Releases </span></strong></div></td></tr></tbody></table><table width="16%"><tbody><tr></tr></tbody></table></div><p align="left" style="margin-bottom:0;">CONTACT PERSON: JUDY BOUDREAUX</p><p align="left" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;">COMMUNITY RELATIONS DEPARTMENT </p><p align="left" style="margin-top:0;">(504) 310 - 2590</p><p style="margin-bottom:0;">&nbsp;</p><div align="left"><table style="background-color:#F7EBC6;cellpadding:0;cellspacing:0;width:100%;"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="38%"><span style="color:#212073;"><strong>&nbsp; APRIL, 17 2018</strong></span></td><td width="62%"><p align="right" style="margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;"><span style="color:#212073;"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE</strong></span></p></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p>&nbsp;</p><p align="left">NEW ORLEANS -- Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson hosted Port-au-Prince Bar Association B&acirc;tonnier Stanley Gaston, April 3, at the Louisiana Supreme Court building. Dona K. Renegar, President, Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA), joined a delegation of expat Haitian New Orleans business and cultural leaders, Warren Perrin and representatives from the Francophone Section of the LSBA, and Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit to commemorate the partnership between the Congr&egrave;s of International Conference of Bar Associations of Common L&eacute;gal Traditions (CIB) and the LSBA.</p><p align="left">&nbsp;</p><p align="left">Gaston initiated the collaboration to activate the LSBA&rsquo;s membership with the CIB. Citing shared French history and the need to generate diversity within the CIB, Gaston said with the assistance of an interpreter, &ldquo;We will strengthen the association with active LSBA members.&rdquo;</p><p align="left">&nbsp;</p><p align="left">&ldquo;The connection between Haiti and Louisiana cannot be overstated,&rdquo; said Chief Justice Johnson. &ldquo;The Haitian Revolution influenced American history. Who if anyone can imagine America without the Louisiana Purchase? The trajectory of this country changed, and Louisiana&rsquo;s cultural identity was fortified. Here we are, a little over two hundred years later, Haiti&rsquo;s influence will reinvigorate the Francophone Section of the LSBA, while strengthening and diversifying the CIB.&rdquo;</p><p align="left">&nbsp;</p><p align="left">The delegation toured the Supreme Court building including a visit to the rare books collection. Gaston had particular interest in&nbsp;Trait&eacute; d&rsquo;&eacute;conomie politique et de commerce des colonies,&nbsp;1804 Code Civil Fran&ccedil;ais,&nbsp;De la l&eacute;gislation et de l&rsquo;administration des colonies&nbsp;and&nbsp;M&eacute;moire historique et politique sur la Louisiane&nbsp;texts.</p><p>&ldquo;As a former French colony we are very interested in knowing what people thought about what happened to enslaved people. We&rsquo;ve never seen original books that illustrate our shared judicial traditions. We don&rsquo;t have historic material to conduct research in Haiti. We are very interested in studying the texts and sharing the information,&rdquo; Gaston said.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;Our historic ties to Haiti, with emphasis on the Revolution and the migration from Haiti to Louisiana is unique, and is the basis for cultivating a strong relationship with Port-au-Prince. While we have an eye on moving forward, it is always good to know whence we came. Most importantly, the partnership will help to preserve our Louisiana French-speaking heritage,&rdquo; said Renegar.</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&ldquo;I appreciated the opportunity to join Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson and other colleagues from the Louisiana Bench and Bar in welcoming to Louisiana, B&acirc;tonnier Stanley Gaston and other representatives from the Congr&egrave;s of International Conference of Bar Associations,&rdquo; Chief Judge Stewart said. &ldquo;Our state and federal commitments to the Rule of Law fit perfectly with the collaborations that our guests are affirming. I look forward to future occasions where we can work mutually toward common goals.&rdquo;</p><p>&nbsp;</p><p>Gaston who was elected unanimously to his position in 2015, will direct the efforts of the partnership for one year. More than fifty members of the Francophone Section of the LSBA will meet for a conference with the CIB in New Orleans this year.</p><p align="left">&nbsp;</p><p align="center">- 30 -</p><p>&nbsp;</p><table border="1" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="5" width="114"><tbody><tr valign="top"><td width="100"><img alt="Portrait of Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson on view in the Louisiana Supreme Court Museum painted by Haitian artist Ulrick Jean-Pierre" height="333" src="/press_room/press_releases/2018/images/CJ%20Johnson%20Portrait.jpg" width="400" /></td><td width="100"><img alt="Attorney Louis Koerner, Dona K. Renegar, Jacques Miguel Sanon, Stanley Gaston, Warren Perrin & Attorney Katherine Wells" height="250" src="/press_room/press_releases/2018/images/Delegation.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td><div align="left">Portrait of Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson on view in the Louisiana Supreme Court Museum painted by Haitian artist Ulrick Jean-Pierre</div></td><td>Attorney Louis Koerner, Dona K. Renegar, Jacques Miguel Sanon, Stanley Gaston, Warren Perrin &amp; Attorney Katherine Wells</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td><div align="center"><img alt="Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart and Haitian artist Ulrick Jean-Pierre" height="550" src="/press_room/press_releases/2018/images/Judge%20Stewart.jpg" width="400" /></div></td><td><img alt="Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, the honoree Stanley Gaston, LSBA President Dona K. Renegar" height="540" src="/press_room/press_releases/2018/images/Stanley%20Gaston.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td>Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart and Haitian artist Ulrick Jean-Pierre</td><td>Chief Justice Bernette Joshua Johnson, the honoree Stanley Gaston, LSBA President Dona K. Renegar</td></tr><tr valign="top"><td><img alt="Standing left to right: Warren Perrin, Mary Perrin, Law Library Director Miriam Childs, Louis Koerner, Jean Guy Celestin; seated Emeline Desse & Fenelle Guillame" height="333" src="/press_room/press_releases/2018/images/Rare%20Books.jpg" width="400" /></td><td><img alt="LSBA Francophone Section Chair Warren Perrin presents a copy of his book Acadie Then and Now: A People's History" height="300" src="/press_room/press_releases/2018/images/Warren%20Perrin.jpg" width="400" /></td></tr><tr valign="top"><td><p>Standing left to right: Warren Perrin, Mary Perrin, Law Library Director Miriam Childs, Louis Koerner, Jean Guy Celestin; seated Emeline Desse &amp; Fenelle Guillame</p></td><td>LSBA Francophone Section Chair Warren Perrin presents a copy of his book Acadie Then and Now: A People's History</td></tr></tbody></table><p>&nbsp;</p><p>&nbsp;</p>
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