Help us improve in just 2 minutes—share your thoughts in our reader survey.
Bernadette D'Souza
Bernadette D'Souza is a judge for Division K, Domestic Section 1 of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in Louisiana. Her current term ends on December 31, 2026.
D'Souza (Democratic Party) won re-election for the Division K, Domestic Section 1 judge of the Orleans Parish Civil District Court in Louisiana outright in the primary on November 3, 2020, after the general election was canceled.
Elections
2020
See also: City elections in New Orleans, Louisiana (2020)
Louisiana elections use the majority-vote system. All candidates compete in the same primary, and a candidate can win the election outright by receiving more than 50 percent of the vote. If no candidate does, the top two vote recipients from the primary advance to the general election, regardless of their partisan affiliation.
Nonpartisan primary election
Nonpartisan primary for Orleans Parish Civil District Court Division K, Domestic Section 1
Incumbent Bernadette D'Souza won election outright against LaKeisha Jefferson in the primary for Orleans Parish Civil District Court Division K, Domestic Section 1 on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Bernadette D'Souza (D) | 52.8 | 79,769 |
 | LaKeisha Jefferson (D)  | 47.2 | 71,221 | |
| Total votes: 150,990 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2014
See also: Louisiana judicial elections, 2014
D'Souza ran for re-election to the Orleans Parish Civil District Court.
Primary: She was elected in the primary on November 4, 2014, receiving 78 percent of the vote. She competed against Taetrece Harrison.
[1][2]
2012
- See also: Louisiana judicial elections, 2012
D'Souza was one of three candidates that filed for the race, the other two being Janet Ahern and Kris Kiefer. Both Ahern and Kiefer withdrew from the race before the election on March 24, assuring D'Souza a victory.[3][4]
Campaign themes
2020
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Bernadette D'Souza did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
Education
D'Souza received her J.D. from Tulane University School of Law in 1992.[5]
Career
After graduation, she pursued a legal career dedicated to public interest law, taking on cases regarding family law, housing and domestic violence. D'Souza has served over 18 years as a practicing attorney, many of which were spent as managing attorney for the family law unit at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services.[5]
She has also served as an adjunct professor as Tulane Law School, teaching courses on domestic violence laws.[5]
Awards and associations
Awards
- 2011: Women of the Year, CityBusiness
- 2008: Career Public Interest Award, Louisiana State Bar Association
- Humanitarian Award, St. Mark Missionary Baptist Church
- Role Model Award, YWCA
- Citizen Hero Award from Victims
- Citizens Against Crime Award
- Louisiana Coalition Against Domestic Violence Into Action Award
- Professionalism Award, Association for Women Attorneys[5]
Associations
- Chairman of the board, WRBH – Radio for the Blind
- Board member, Institute for Mental Hygiene
- Past president, YWCA
- Past president, Tulane University Women’s Association[5]
See also
2020 Elections
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "November 4, 2014 General Election Candidates," accessed August 25, 2014
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "2014 primary results," accessed November 7, 2014
- ↑ The Times-Picayune, "D'Souza elected New Orleans' first family court judge," February 2, 2012
- ↑ Louisiana Secretary of State, "Candidate Inquiry, Judicial races on 3/24/2012"
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Bernadette D'Souza for Family Court Judge, "About Bernadette," accessed November 7, 2014
Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana
State courts:
Louisiana Supreme Court • Louisiana Courts of Appeal • Louisiana District Courts • Louisiana City Courts • Louisiana Family Courts • Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts • Louisiana Juvenile Courts • Louisiana Mayor’s Courts • Louisiana Municipal Courts • Louisiana Parish Courts • Louisiana Traffic Courts
State resources:
Courts in Louisiana • Louisiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Louisiana
