ABOVE: Judge Amacker with her family, Ted, Sasha, Rylee and Golden Retriever, Roux.
standards and achieve at everything. “My parents were deeply religious. My dad was a part-time minister and both of my parents were fiercely protective, yet they thoroughly prepared us to ultimately leave them and be independent. The values they taught me—respect, honor, faith, duty and responsibility have defined my life as a wife, mother, attorney and now as a judge.” After graduation from LSU Law School and admission to the bar in 1982, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in St. Tammany Parish, handling the juvenile docket, and when Judge Hillary J. Crain was elected to the First Circuit Court of Appeal, she became his first staff attorney. In 1985, she became a partner in the law firm of Collett and Amacker and handled thousands of matters for clients over a career spanning 25 years. She specialized in family law and became a Board Certified Family Law Specialist in 1995, the first year the state offered certification. Throughout the years, Judge Amacker established herself statewide as a pre-eminent family law attorney and active participant in the promotion of local and state family law initiatives, one of which resulted ultimately in the establishment of the 22nd Judicial District Family Court—the second exclusive family court in the state created by law. When she was elected as one of the two family court judges in 2008, Judge Amacker put her lifelong experience in the district to use in structuring the new court, which handles all family proceedings, including protective orders, divorce, child custody, spousal and child support, property partitions and adoptions.
With reverence for the family unit, Judge Amacker has implemented procedures that are designed to help families heal. “Family court is usually the last place someone wants to be. We can make the process less traumatic by giving people options and tools to resolve conflict,” she said. “With a respect for the process that so greatly affects people’s lives and their children’s lives, we have a system that gets you in from the beginning and works over time to provide the most acceptable resolution for all parties involved.” “The process has been well thought out for the benefit of our families,” Judge Amacker said. “Family Court judges and practitioners know that trying cases and litigation does not work. It runs counter to what we are trying to accomplish. People are more likely to accept the conditions if they’ve agreed on them together. It doesn’t benefit anyone to have parents come back into court because of non-compliance.” Judge Amacker explained that while the court tries to do everything it can to facilitate consensus, she will intervene when necessary, stating, “we employ strong enforcement strategies through penalties and sanctions to make sure all decisions are followed to the letter of the law, and we have zero tolerance for abuse and nonsupport of children and families.” The two judges have made the Family Court surroundings warm and inviting. In the window of the Family Court, a tiny cocker spaniel named “Lady” is curled up. “I brought my dog to my law office for many years and was feeling sad that I couldn’t have her with me anymore, when I saw this lifelike “breathing” toy dog in a gift shop. Of all the animals and toys we have, she is the most popular and a