Judge Wendy Vitter became the Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on May 15, 2025, succeeding Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, who completed her seven-year term of service to the Court. Per 28 U.S.C. §136, “The chief judge shall have precedence and preside at any session which [s]he attends.” In addition, the chief judge is the Court’s leader of administrative operations who bears many budgetary, financial, and reporting responsibilities.
Chief Judge Vitter was sworn in as a U.S. District Judge for Eastern District of Louisiana on May 30, 2019. Immediately prior to her judicial appointment, she served as General Counsel for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the first in its history. In that role, she provided counsel to the Archdiocese as well as various associated entities, including Catholic Charities, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Clarion Herald, Notre Dame Seminary, and more than 100 elementary and high schools.
Chief Judge Vitter previously worked as an associate at Abbott & Meeks Law Firm, which specialized in maritime litigation. Prior to that role, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, trying more than 100 jury trials, with a specialty in homicide prosecutions. At the time she left the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, she was Chief of the Trials Division, overseeing the trial attorneys in ten sections of Criminal District Court.
Chief Judge Vitter earned her B.A. degree from Sam Houston State University and graduated from Tulane University Law School. She and her husband David, both New Orleans natives, are avid pickleball players but are most passionate about their four adult children and their spouses. She is also a proud new grandmother to twin boys.
The Court congratulates Chief Judge Vitter and looks forward to her service.
You are here
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.
May 14, 2025
The Department of Homeland Security has determined that federal courthouses remain exempt from the provisions of the REAL ID Act in order to protect the constitutional right of defendants and other members of the public’s access to court proceedings. State-issued identification cards are and will continue to be an acceptable form of identification for those seeking to access federal courthouses.
View this PDF
May 8, 2025
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which 22 petitioners became United States citizens. The Honorable Jay C. Zainey, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, presided over the May 1 ceremony. He opened the ceremony by inviting everyone to stand for the presentation of the colors by the members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, led by representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Judge Zainey then invited keynote speaker Mimi Nguyen to provide remarks. Nguyen, an Assistant United States Attorney, noted the ceremony took place one day after the 50th anniversary of the conclusion of the Vietnam War, which was the catalyst for her family immigrating to America. Her father worked many difficult jobs to provide for her family while he learned English, and the only week he took off work each year was the week of July 4th. Nguyen said she is reminded of her father’s American pride at the beginning of every court proceeding when she introduces herself as “representing the United States of America.” Brock Dupre, Deputy Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (EDLA), served as the Attorney General’s designee and certified the petitioners’ eligibility for citizenship. After granting the requests for name change, Judge Zainey administered the Oath of Allegiance, before providing final remarks. Judge Zainey encouraged the new citizens to embrace their new home country by voting in elections at all levels and utilizing the rights they have been afforded. Petitioners were then given their certificates and took pictures with Judge Zainey and their families. To view photos from the ceremony, please select this link.
March 14, 2025
Public Notice is hereby given of proposed amendments to the Rule for Lawyer Disciplinary Enforcement for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
View this PDF
March 14, 2025
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which 48 petitioners became United States citizens. The Honorable Greg G. Guidry, U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana, presided over the March 6 ceremony. He opened the ceremony by inviting everyone to stand for the playing of the National Anthem by the Marine Forces Reserve Band and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, led by representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Judge Guidry then invited keynote speaker Annalisa Miron to provide remarks. Miron, a public defender at EDLA, reflected on her father’s naturalization at this courthouse in 1971. She encouraged the new citizens to embrace their new community through local organizations and elections. Miron emphasized the importance of exercising their freedoms as new citizens to make the country stronger. Peter Mansfield, Chief of the Civil Division of the U.S. Attorney’s Office (EDLA), served as the Attorney General’s designee and certified the petitioners’ eligibility for citizenship. After granting the requests for name change, Judge Guidry had each petitioner announce their name and country of origin before case manager Dedra Pongracz administered the Oath of Allegiance. Petitioners were then given their certificates and took pictures with their families. To view photos from the ceremony, please select this link.
March 12, 2025
Please note that the Administrative Office is administering the written phase of the Federal Court Interpreter Certification Examination for interpreters of Spanish on May 5-19, 2025. Registration is from February 3 to May 2, 2025. Test candidates must pass the written exam to qualify for the oral exam. The oral phase will be administered August 4-18, 2025. Registration will be from June 23 to August 1, 2025. Written and oral examinations used to be held in alternating years; however, the Administrative Office is now offering both exams annually to increase the certified Spanish interpreter pool.
February 18, 2025
Our legal system is founded on the principles of fairness and equity, but statistical and anecdotal evidence prove that our courtrooms and law offices are not fair and equitable in the treatment of lawyers. In this CLE, numerous presenters (you will know many of them!) will act out common scenarios within legal organizations and legal culture—for example, a hiring committee meeting, mentorship assignments, junior attorney evaluations, and file-staffing or promotion discussions. Topics woven into the hypothetical situations will showcase things like affinity bias, performance bias, the maternal wall, and intersectionality. A panel and the audience will comment on each scenario, share lived experiences, and provide concrete advice for how to handle similar situations in the future.
Presenters include Judge Susie Morgan, Judge Darrel Papillion, Kelly Becker, Magdalen Blessey Bickford, Brandon Davis, Harold Flanagan, Valerie Fontenot, Amy McIntire, Kerry Miller, Rachel Naquin, Cayce Peterson, Brittany Reed, Bradley Schwab, Gerald "Jess" Waltman, Graham Williams, Rick Yelton, J. Christopher Zainey, Jr., Haley Zhu-Butler. The presentation will be moderated by Judge Janis van Meerveld, Chloé Chetta, and Atoyia Harris.
This event is co-sponsored by The Eastern District of Louisiana, The New Orleans Chapter of the Federal Bar Association, The Association for Women Attorneys, The Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, The Louisiana State Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, and The New Orleans Bar Association.
Register now using the link below or by scanning the QR code.
Registration for Women's History Month CLE - A Seat at the Table
February 18, 2025
The Court completed a required upgrade to its CM/ECF system Saturday morning (Feb. 15). The update unexpectedly prevented attorneys from electronically filing pleadings between the mornings of February 15 and Tuesday, February 18, 2025. The Court has resolved the issue and apologizes for the outage. Attorneys are reminded to consult the Court’s administrative procedures for guidance concerning technical failures.
February 5, 2025
The Court has amended its Local Civil Rules to add Rule 83.5.1, which provides for a 21-day stay of any order transferring a case to a district court outside the Fifth Circuit in certain circumstances. The amendment is effective February 4, 2025. Here is the full text of the amendment:
LOCAL CIVIL RULE 83.5.1
TRANSFER ORDERS
Unless all affected parties consent to the transfer, an order that transfers a case to a district court outside the Fifth Circuit is stayed for 21 days from the date the order is entered on the docket. This rule does not apply to transfer orders of the United States Judicial Panel on Multidistrict Litigation.
The Court’s order amending the Local Civil Rules can be found here.
A copy of the complete Local Civil Rules can be found here.
February 5, 2025
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana held a naturalization ceremony in which 24 petitioners became United States citizens. The Honorable Darrel J. Papillion, U.S. District Judge, presided over the January 28 ceremony. He welcomed and congratulated the petitioners and then invited everyone to stand for the playing of the National Anthem by the Marine Forces Reserve Band and the reciting of the Pledge of Allegiance, led by representatives from the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Judge Papillion then invited keynote speakers Mr. David Abboud Thomas and Dr. Najeeb M. Thomas to provide remarks. The two brothers spoke of their experiences as grandchildren of Lebanese immigrants. David reflected lovingly on his grandmother’s American pride, while Dr. Thomas admired his grandparents’ brave journey to the U.S. to escape hardships and give their family more opportunities. “The U.S. is a patchwork quilt, stitched together by immigrant hands,” Dr. Thomas said.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Renee Goudeau then issued the statement of petitioners’ eligibility for citizenship and presented petitioners’ requests for name change. After granting the requests for name change, Judge Papillion invited the petitioners to announce their names and countries of origin before he administered the Oath of Allegiance. Petitioners were then given their certificates and took pictures with Judge Papillion and their families.
To view photos from the ceremony, please select this link.