NEW ORLEANS, LA – Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Karen Herman, who has served on that bench for over 13 years, qualified to run for the open at-large seat on Louisiana’s Fourth Circuit Court of Appeal this week with the endorsement of leaders across the region.

She declared her intention to run in January of this year following the retirement of Judge James McKay III.

“It has been an honor to serve on the Criminal District Court bench, preside over the district’s only Mental Health Court, oversee a Drug Court, and serve as chief judge for a portion of my tenure,” said Judge Herman. “However, I’m excited by the opportunity to serve the hard-working people of Orleans, Plaquemines, and St. Bernard parishes on the Fourth Circuit Court bench, and I look forward to continuing to fairly and impartially protect the interests of defendants, the State, victims’ families and the community at large.”

Judge Herman has been endorsed by Congressman Troy Carter; New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell; New Orleans City Council President Helena Moreno; New Orleans City Council Vice President JP Morrell; New Orleans Councilmembers Joseph Giarrusso III, Lesli Harris, and Eugene Green; St. Bernard Parish President Guy McInnis; St. Bernard District Attorney Perry Nicosia; St. Bernard Sheriff James Pohlmann; St. Bernard Clerk of Court Randy Nunez; Plaquemines District Attorney Charles Ballay; Plaquemines Parish Councilmember Trudy Newberry; Plaquemines Parish School Board Member Daniel Morrill; State Representatives Aimee Adatto Freeman, Royce Duplessis, Kyle Green, Stephanie Hilferty, and Matthew Willard; Former State Senator Cynthia Willard-Lewis; Former New Orleans Clerk of Criminal District Court Arthur Morrell; and OPDEC Member Dominic Willard Jr.

Prior to her election in 2008, Judge Herman served as the founding executive director of Court Watch NOLA, where she received high marks for helping the court system to get back on track after the disruption from Hurricane Katrina. She built the watchdog organization from scratch leading it to amass hundreds of volunteer attorneys. Previous to that, she spent years in the New Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, where she served as a trial attorney, a homicide screener, and was instrumental in establishing the Violent Offender Strike Force.

“On the bench, I have distinguished myself as one of the court's most efficient judges, consistently high in the rankings according to the annual reports released by the Metropolitan Crime Commission,” said Judge Herman. “I’ve also been honored to Chair the Louisiana State Bar Association’s Diversity Committee, serve as an adjunct professor for Tulane’s Trial Advocacy Course, be a volunteer mentor for the Tulane Moot Court Program, as well as provide professional education seminars and lectures on ethics, professional behavior, needed legislation, and the utility of diversion programs to the Louisiana Judicial College, the Louisiana State Bar Association, and the New Orleans Bar Association.”

Outside of the courtroom, Judge Herman serves on the board of the Cancer Association of Louisiana and is an Emeritus Board Member of the Eden House. She graduated cum laude from Tulane Law School, having earned a bachelor’s degree from Emory University, where she was a nationally ranked tennis player.

Learn more about Judge Karen Herman at electkarenherman.com.