Helen Berrigan
Helen Ginger Berrigan was a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. She joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton (D). She served as chief judge of the court from 2001 to 2008. Berrigan assumed senior status on August 23, 2016. Her service ended on November 15, 2024, upon her death.[1]
Early life and education
A native of New Rochelle, New York, Berrigan graduated from the University of Wisconsin with her undergraduate degree in 1969. She went on to graduate from American University with her master's degree in 1971 and from Louisiana State University Law School with her J.D. in 1977.[1]
Professional career
- 2016-2024: Senior judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- 1994-2016: Judge, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- 1978-1994: Private practice, New Orleans, La.
- 1977-1978: Staff attorney, Governor's Pardon, Parole, and Rehabilitation Commission, Louisiana[1]
Judicial career
Eastern District of Louisiana
 |
| Nominee Information |
| Name: Helen G. Berrigan |
| Court: United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana |
| Progress |
| Confirmed 112 days after nomination. |
| Questionnaire: |
| QFRs: (Hover over QFRs to read more) |
Berrigan was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 18, 1993, to a seat on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated by Patrick Carr. The American Bar Association rated Berrigan Unanimously Well Qualified for the nomination.[2] Hearings on Berrigan's nomination were held before the United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary on January 27, 1994, and her nomination was reported by then-U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.) on March 9, 1994. Berrigan was confirmed on a voice vote of the U.S. Senate on March 10, 1994, and she received her commission the same day. She served as chief judge of the court from 2001 to 2008. She assumed senior status on August 23, 2016.[1][3]
Noteworthy cases
Ex-mayor of New Orleans convicted in conspiracy trial (2014)
On February 12, 2014, Judge Berrigan presided over the nine-day trial of Ray Nagin, former mayor of New Orleans, Louisiana. Nagin was convicted by a jury on 20 corruption-related charges, including conspiracy to commit bribery and honest services wire fraud.[4]
In the underlying case, Nagin was accused of accepting gifts from city vendors in exchange for political favors and charged in a 21-count indictment on January 18, 2013.[4] According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, Nagin "accept[ed] numerous bribes and payoffs from consultants and contractors."[5] Evidence provided at Nagin’s trial proved that in addition to his participation in a conspiracy to launder money, he filed false tax returns from 2005 to 2008. At trial, Nagin was found guilty on 20 of the charges filed against him; he was found not guilty on one particular charge of bribery.[6]
Nagin was sentenced to 10 years in prison on July 9, 2014. Nagin’s trial in Judge Berrigan’s courtroom was precedential in that he was the first New Orleans mayor to ever be tried and convicted on corruption charges.[4][7][8][9]
See also
- United States Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Federal Judicial Center, "Biographical directory of federal judges," accessed November 15, 2024
- ↑ American Bar Association, "Ratings of Article III judicial nominees, 103rd Congress," accessed September 1, 2016
- ↑ United States Congress, "PN 902 - Helen G. Berrigan - The Judiciary," accessed September 1, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 The Advocate, "Ex-Mayor Ray Nagin convicted on 20 charges," February 16, 2014
- ↑ Federal Bureau of Investigation, "C. Ray Nagin, Former New Orleans Mayor, Indicted on Federal Bribery, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, Conspiracy, and Tax Charges," January 18, 2013
- ↑ U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, "C. Ray Nagin, Former New Orleans Mayor, Convicted on Federal Bribery, Honest Services Wire Fraud, Money Laundering, Conspiracy, and Tax Charges," February 12, 2014
- ↑ The Town Talk, "Ex-New Orleans Mayor Nagin seeks leniency after conviction for fraud, bribery," June 14, 2014
- ↑ WDSU.com, "Ray Nagin's sentencing delayed due court conflict, attorney says," June 17, 2014
- ↑ The Washington Post, "Former New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin sentenced to 10 years in prison," July 9, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by: Patrick Carr |
Eastern District of Louisiana 1994–2016 Seat #12 |
Succeeded by: Wendy Vitter
|
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 |
Adams • Ambrose • Barnes • Brinkema • Bucklew • Chasanow • Coffman • Daughtrey • Ferguson • Ginsburg • Hagen • Jackson • Lancaster • Leval • Lindsay • Messitte • Michael • Piersol • Saris • Schwartz • Seybert • Shanahan • Shaw • Stearns • Trager • Vazquez • Wilken • Wilson | ||
| 1994 |
Baer • Barkett • Batts • Beaty • Benavides • Bennett • Berrigan • Biery • Block • Borman • Breyer • Briones • Bryson • Bucklo • Burgess • Burrage • Cabranes • Calabresi • Carr • Casellas • Castillo • Chatigny • Chin • Cindrich • Coar • Collins • Cooper • Cote • Currie • Davis • Dominguez • Downes • Duval • Friedman • Furgeson • Garcia • Gertner • Gettleman • Gillmor • Gilmore • Gleeson • Haggerty • Hamilton • Hannah • Hawkins • Henry • Holmes • Hood • Hull • Hurley • Jack • Jones • Jones • Kaplan • Katz • Kern • Kessler • Koeltl • Lisi • Manning • McKee • McLaughlin • Melancon • Miles-LaGrange • Moore • Motz • Murphy • O'Malley • O'Meara • Oliver • Paez • B. Parker • F. Parker • R. Parker • Perry • Ponsor • Pooler • Porteous • Rendell • Riley • Robertson • Rogers • Ross • Russell • Sands • Sarokin • Scheindlin • Silver • Squatrito • Stewart • Sullivan • Tatel • Thompson • Timlin • Urbina • Vanaskie • Vance • Walls • Wells • Williams | ||
| 1995 |
Arterton • Atlas • Black • Blake • Briscoe • Tena Campbell • Todd Campbell • Chesney • Cole • Collier • Daniel • Davis • Dennis • Dlott • Donald • Duffy • Economus • Evans • Fallon • Folsom • Gaughan • Goodwin • Heartfield • Hunt • Illston • Jones • King • Kornmann • Lawson • Lenard • Lucero • Lynch • McKinley • Moody • Moore • Moskowitz • Murphy • Murtha • Nugent • O'Toole • Orlofsky • Pogue • Sessions • C. Smith • O. Smith • Stein • Thornburg • Tunheim • Wallach • Wardlaw • Webber • Whaley • Winmill • Wood | ||
| 1996 |
Broadwater • Clevert • Fenner • Gershon • Gottschall • Greenaway • Hinkle • Jones • Kahn • Laughrey • Lemmon • Marten • Miller • Molloy • Montgomery • Pregerson • Rakoff • Sargus • Tashima • Thomas • Zapata | ||
| 1997 |
Adelman • Bataillon • Breyer • Caputo • Casey • Chambers • Clay • Damrell • Droney • Friedman • Gajarsa • Garland • Gilman • Gold • Gwin • Hall • Hayden • Hull • Ishii • Jenkins • Kauffman • Kennedy • Kimball • Kollar-Kotelly • Lazzara • Marbley • Marcus • Middlebrooks • Miller • Moon • Pratt • Rendell • Sippel • Siragusa • Snyder • Thrash | ||
| 1998 |
Aiken • Barbier • Barzilay • Berman • Buttram • Carter • Collins • Dawson • Dimitrouleas • Fletcher • Fogel • Frank • Graber • Hellerstein • Herndon • James • Johnson • Kane • Kelly • G. King • R. King • Lasnik • Lee • Lemelle • Lindsay • Lipez • Manella • Matz • McCuskey • McKeown • McMahon • Mickle • Mollway • Mordue • Moreno • Morrow • Munley • Murphy • Pallmeyer • Pauley • Polster • Pooler • Rawlinson • Ridgway • R. Roberts • V. Roberts • Sack • Scott • Seitz • Seymour • Shea • Silverman • Sleet • Sotomayor • Steeh • Story • Straub • Tagle • Tarnow • Trauger • Traxler • Tyson • Wardlaw • Whelan • Young | ||
| 1999 |
Alsup • Barry • Brown • Buchwald • Cooper • Eaton • Ellison • Feess • Fisher • Gould • Guzman • Haynes • Hibbler • Hochberg • Hurd • Huvelle • Jordan • Katzmann • Kennelly • Linn • Lorenz • Lynn • Marrero • Murguia • Pannell • Pechman • Pepper • Phillips • Schreier • Stewart • Underhill • Ward • Williams • Wilson | ||
| 2000 |
Ambro • Antoon • Battani • Berzon • Bolton • Brady • Bye • Cavanaugh • Daniels • Darrah • Dawson • Dyk • Fuentes • Garaufis • Garcia-Gregory • Hamilton • Huck • Hunt • Lawson • Lefkow • Lynch • Martin • McLaughlin • Moody • Murguia • Paez • Pisano • Presnell • Rawlinson • Reagan • Schiller • Singal • Steele • Surrick • Swain • Tallman • Teilborg • Tucker • Whittemore | ||
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