NEW ORLEANS (AP) — An appellate judge in New Orleans on Friday retired for a job in the private sector.
Judge Regina Bartholomew-Woods, in a letter to Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin, said she is giving up her seat on the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal and will now serve as assistant general counsel for Entergy Corp. in New Orleans.
“It has been one of my highest honors serving the citizens of the greater New Orleans area and the State of Louisiana throughout the past decade,” she said. "I am humbled and grateful to have been given such an amazing opportunity by the voters of New Orleans. I have thoroughly enjoyed the scholarly work that I engaged in, as well as working alongside some of the judiciary’s best and brightest. While I will miss being an active member of the judiciary, I eagerly look forward to the next chapter of my career within the private sector.”
The 4th Circuit Court handles appeals in criminal, civil and juvenile cases from Orleans, Plaquemines and St. Bernard parishes. Retired 40th District Court Judge Madeline Jasmine will temporarily fill Woods' seat until April 30, according to a Louisiana Supreme Court order.
Woods was sworn into the seat in January 2017. Before that, she worked as general counsel for the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools in Charlotte, North Carolina, as well as the Orleans Parish School Board and was an attorney in private practice with several law firms.
She is the second judge to leave the 4th Circuit recently, The Times Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reported. Former Chief Judge James McKay III resigned Jan. 3, nearly a year before his term was set to expire.
At least one more seat on the court will be vacant by the end of the year, the newspaper reported. Judge Edwin Lombard’s term is set to expire on Dec. 31, and he is too old to run again under Louisiana’s judicial age limits.
Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed without permission.
