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Blair C. Constant
Of-Counsel
bconstant@couhigpartners.com
March 22, 2023
Jen France
Executive Assistant
Louisiana Bar Association
601 St. Charles Ave.
New Orleans, LA 70130
Re: Hon. Catherine D. Kimball Award Nominee
Ms. France,
I write to you to nominate and support the Hon. June Berry Darensburg as the 2023
recipient for the Hon. Catherine D. Kimball Award for the Advancement of the
Administration of Justice.
I have known Judge Darensburg for over ten years from her activities both on and
off the bench. After being elected in 2006 as the first female African-American jurist in
Jefferson Parish, Judge Darensburg wasted no time in getting involved in the Jefferson
Parish Drug Court Program. Since that time, her commitment to the drug court and its
participants and graduates has never wavered. Her commitment and professional
investment in the success of the drug court and other specialty courts in Jefferson Parish
has affected countless lives of those participants, as well as influenced the lives of the
family members of those participants who might have otherwise followed a similar path
in the criminal justice system.
th
Judge Darensburg is the most senior and experienced jurist in the 24 Judicial
District Court. I have had the privilege of practicing in her court for both criminal matters
as a former assistant district attorney as well as civil matters. Her treatment of all that
come before her exemplifies what it means to be a judge. It was these qualities that
made our decisions as the executive board for the J.B.A. to make her the first recipient of
the Hon. Henry G. Sullivan, Jr. Award for Judicial Integrity in honor of the late Judge Henry
Sullivan. As 2023 President of the Jefferson Parish Bar Association (J.B.A.), nothing gave
either me or our association more pride in recognizing Judge Darensburg in this special