The number of graduates of the College of Law who have gone on to become judges is in the hundreds, as evidenced by the “Wall of Judges” in the first floor of the main law school building. However, Loyola does not stop at merely producing judges; it has generated jurists of the highest caliber—chief judges, appellate judges, and state Supreme Court justices. Achieving the position of a high ranking judge takes not only hard work, but fortitude as well. Those who attain these positions do so through dedication to their profession, pride in their work, and many years of service. The following women and men have made impressive strides in their judicial careers, and the College of Law is honored to feature them. Justice Jeannette Knoll, J.D. ’69 Chief Judge Vanessa Guidry-Whipple, J.D. ’80 Chief Judge Susan Chehardy, J.D. ’85 Chief Judge Carl E. Stewart, J.D. ’74 Chief Judge James McKay, J.D. ’74 Chief Judge Cameron Simmons ’79, J.D. ’82 BRINGING GENDER AND VALUES TO THE BENCH Justice Jeannette Knoll, J.D. ’69 (Louisiana Supreme Court), Chief Judge Vanessa Guidry-Whipple, J.D. ’80 (Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal), and Chief Judge Susan Chehardy, J.D. ’85 (Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal) all had different paths and experiences that led them to the legal profession, but each was the first female to serve on her respective appellate bench. When Knoll was elected to the Third Circuit Court of Appeal in 1982, she was the first woman elected to a reviewing court in Louisiana. Moreover, Guidry-Whipple and Chehardy are the first female chief judges of the First and Fifth Circuit Courts of Appeal. “Females bring a woman’s perspective, while males bring a man’s perspective, both of which are important components to the bench,” says Knoll, who had an unconventional path to the law. Knoll planned to follow her mother’s footsteps—have a dozen children, be a housewife, and be involved with music. Her mother was a classical pianist; Knoll is an opera singer. She won a Metropolitan Opera Association and New Orleans Opera Guild Scholarship at age 18 to study voice under the direction of Maestro Adler of the Metropolitan Opera Company in New York. Thankfully for the legal community, her husband-to-be, Eddie Knoll, had other
Justice Jeannette Knoll, J.D. ’69
Chief Judge Vanessa Guidry-Whipple, J.D. ’80
www.law.loyno.edu
11