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News & Announcements: 2022-09

Check this page, or the News and Announcements box on the homepage, for the latest official news and announcements released by the court. You can also access archived news and announcements from this page.

September 29, 2022
Pursuant to Case Management Order No. 1, In re Hurricane Ida Claims, the Court hereby appoints Mediation Support Services, L.L.C. as Program Administrator for the Court’s Streamlined Settlement Program. The Court also appoints 30 individuals as neutrals for the Program. For more information, please see the orders below. View this PDF – Neutrals List View this PDF – Program Administrator Appointment  
September 26, 2022
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is pleased to announce that the Honorable Sarah S. Vance, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, is the 2022 recipient of the federal judiciary’s highest honor, the Edward J. Devitt Distinguished Service to Justice Award.  The award was established in 1982 to honor the unsung heroes of the federal judiciary.  Judge Vance has served on the Eastern District of Louisiana’s federal bench since 1994 and served as the court’s Chief Judge from 2008-2015.  She has served on the Executive Committee of the Judicial Conference, as Chair of the U.S. Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation, and currently serves on the Federal Judiciary Workplace Conduct Working Group.  Judge Vance will be honored at a ceremony opened by Chief Justice John G. Roberts, Jr., at the U.S. Supreme Court.  To read more about Judge Vance’s selection for the Devitt Award and her distinguished career, please select this link.  
September 9, 2022
On August 4, 2022, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which thirty-six individuals from twenty-three countries across the globe became U.S. citizens.  The Honorable Wendy B. Vitter, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, presided over the ceremony.   The Jesuit ROTC Color Guard presented the colors for the National Anthem and Pledge of Allegiance, which was followed by a keynote speech by the Honorable Bernadette D’Souza, Chief Judge for the Orleans Civil District Court.  Chief Judge D’Souza, a native of Goa, India, told her personal story of immigration and citizenship, and recounted how with the encouragement of her beloved husband and children, she was able to achieve her life-long dream of becoming a lawyer.  She impressed upon the candidates the notion that with hard work and determination, their goals and dreams could be fully realized in these great United States.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Gutierrez served as the U.S. Attorney General’s designee and certified the candidates’ eligibility for naturalization.  The candidates then swore an oath of allegiance to the United States, as administered by Judge Vitter, thus becoming fully-fledged United States citizens.  Afterwards, the candidates were invited to register to vote at a table staffed by volunteers from the New Orleans Chapter of the League of Women Voters. U.S. Passport Agency employees were also on hand to provide information to the newly, sworn-in citizens.  To view photographs from the ceremony, please select this link.