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News & Announcements

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.

December 12, 2023
The Court has issued a Fourth Amendment to its Hurricane Ida Case Management Order No. 1. The order amends the CMO as follows:  1.    The deadline to conduct the Informal Settlement Conference is extended to 60 days from the disclosure deadline (previous deadline was 30 days);  2.    The deadline for the Administrator to schedule mediation is extended to 150 days from the filing of the last responsive pleadings or, if falling on a later date, 60 days from denial of a motion to remand (previous deadlines were 75 and 30 days); 3. The cancellation fee for mediations cancelled within 14 days is removed where the reason for cancellation is settlement of the case.   All other provisions of the CMO remain in effect. View this PDF View CMO Exhibit B View CMO Exhibit C
December 8, 2023
Cover Photo: Copyright Suzi Altman The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana partnered with the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association to present a dramatic reenactment of the historic events leading to the integration of the University of Mississippi. James Meredith, the then-student who integrated the University, participated in the event, which also recounted the heroics of Constance Baker Motley (Meredith’s attorney) and Judge John Minor Wisdom, one of several judges who authored courageous desegregation decisions at the time.  Under the direction of U.S. Magistrate Judge Janis van Meerveld and performing a script co-authored by U.S. Second Circuit Judge Denny Chin and his wife Kathy Hirata Chin, a cast of federal judges and other distinguished guests reenacted the court proceedings involved in Meredith’s quest to become the first Black student admitted to the university in the 1960s. The script drew heavily from actual transcripts from the legal proceedings and was accompanied by photographs of the events as they unfolded. These real-life touches transported the audience back in time to the segregated South that Judge Wisdom (played by Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown) described as “the eerie atmosphere of never-never land.” Compelling, historic, thought-provoking, infuriating, and timely, the performance received a standing ovation from the capacity crowd, as did Mr. Meredith when he was introduced to the audience to add his commentary. Following the performance, a panel featuring U.S. Fifth Circuit Judge Dana Douglas, U.S. Magistrate Judge designee Eva Dossier, and Federal Public Defender Claude Kelly shared ethics and professionalism insights drawn from the events. Attendees who filled the Court’s en banc courtroom for the performance then had the opportunity to visit with Mr. Meredith and the distinguished cast of Judges and other prominent members of the bar. The program and accompanying panel discussion continued the success of the FBA’s long-running Alvin B. Rubin Symposium, which honors Judge Rubin who served as a U.S. district and appellate judge and authored several key civil rights opinions. For the full video of the performance, please click here to use this link. Photo gallery of the event by photographer Suzi Altman.
November 22, 2023
The current term of office of United States Magistrate Judge Janis van Meerveld at New Orleans, Louisiana, is due to expire on July 31, 2024. The United States District Court is required by law to establish a panel of citizens to consider the reappointment of a magistrate judge to a new eight (8) year term. The court is currently assembling a Merit Selection Panel. The names of the panel members will be published.  The duties of a magistrate judge include the following: (1) conducting most preliminary proceedings in criminal cases; (2) trial and disposition of misdemeanor cases; (3) conducting various pretrial matters and evidentiary proceedings on delegation from the judges of the district court; and (4) trial and disposition of civil cases upon consent of the parties. Comments from members of the bar and the public are invited as to whether the incumbent magistrate judge should be recommended by the panel for reappointment by the court and may be sent via email to Clerk@laed.uscourts.gov or mailed to Carol L. Michel, Clerk, United States District Court, 500 Poydras Street, Room C-151, New Orleans, Louisiana 70130.  Comments must be received by February 20, 2024.  
November 21, 2023
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana has issued a general order concerning Amendment 821 to the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines. The U.S. Sentencing Commission made certain provisions of the Amendment retroactive, permitting eligible defendants to receive sentence reductions. The Court’s order establishes the 821 Screening Committee that will review the cases of defendants identified as potentially eligible for a sentence reduction by the U.S. Sentencing Commission, the U.S. Probation Office, the Federal Public Defender’s Office, or the U.S. Attorney’s Office, as well as the cases of other defendants who file motions seeking Amendment 821 sentence reductions and cases referred for screening by the Court’s judges. For additional details, please see the Court’s General Order.
October 4, 2023
The Court has issued an amended Exhibit A to its Hurricane Ida Case Management Order No. 3. The amended exhibit incorporates revisions to deadlines made by the second and third amendments to the CMO. View this PDF
September 28, 2023
The District Judges of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana announce the selection of Eva J. Dossier as a U.S. Magistrate Judge for the district, pending successful completion of a background investigation.   Ms. Dossier earned a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from Tulane University, where she was a Deans’ Honor Scholar and graduated cum laude with academic honors. She then graduated Order of the Coif from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Vanderbilt Law Review and a John W. Wade Scholar. Ms. Dossier received the Vanderbilt Pro Bono Service Award, as well as Vanderbilt Scholastic Excellence Awards in Constitutional Law, Criminal Procedure, Torts, and Wills and Trusts. After law school, Ms. Dossier clerked for the Honorable James B. Loken, of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit and then the Honorable Lance M. Africk, of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.  Most recently, Ms. Dossier has been a member of the law firm of Stanley, Reuter, Thornton & Alford, LLC, focusing on litigation in Louisiana’s state and federal courts.  Part of Ms. Dossier’s practice has involved the representation of lawyers and law firms in ethics and professional responsibility matters.  Ms. Dossier is an adjunct professor at Tulane Law School, where she teaches an upper-level experiential course on written discovery, and she is a frequent speaker on issues relating to ethics and professional responsibility. She served on the Lawyer Disciplinary Committee for the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 2017 to 2023. Ms. Dossier is a member of the New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, which recognized her with the Jack Martzell Professionalism Award in 2021.  Ms. Dossier is also a Vice President of the New Orleans Bar Association, a member of the Insurance Committee of the Louisiana State Bar Association, and an American Bar Foundation Fellow.  She sits on the Board of Trustees of CrescentCare, a federally qualified healthcare center (formerly known as the NO/AIDS Task Force) that provides the New Orleans community with health care and supportive services.
September 22, 2023
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is pleased to announce that the Honorable Karen Wells Roby, U.S. Magistrate Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, is the 2023 recipient of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society’s Lifetime Achievement Award.  The award is given to a member whose service to the legal profession exemplifies a lifetime commitment.  Judge Roby has served on the Eastern District of Louisiana’s bench since 1999 and served as the court’s Chief Magistrate Judge from 2017-2021.  Judge Roby was honored at the Martinet Legal Society’s annual gala and jazz brunch.  To read more about Judge Roby’s selection for the Lifetime Achievement Award and her distinguished career, please select this link.
September 14, 2023
The Court has issued a Third Amendment to its Hurricane Ida Case Management Order No. 1. This amendment applies the deadline extension for responsive pleadings that was established in the second amendment to the CMO to cases removed from state court. View this PDF

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