Thibodaux native sits atop state's highest court

Thibodaux native John L. Weimer recently took the oath of office as the 26th Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court at an investiture ceremony in New Orleans.

Chief Justice Weimer explains that they were originally planning a rather robust ceremony beginning with Bishop Shelton J. Fabre celebrating Mass at St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux with the investiture following at Nicholls State University. But because of COVID-19, they had to have a virtual swearing-in ceremony.
Chief Justice Weimer says he is really grateful for the kindness extended to him by Bishop Shelton J. Fabre and Father Vic DeLa Cruz, V.F., pastor of St. Joseph Co-Cathedral. “Bishop Fabre, who is a very eloquent, spiritual and holy man of God, was kind enough to attend my investiture in New Orleans and give the invocation.”

Bishop Fabre says it was an honor for him to offer the invocation prayer and to be present for Chief Justice Weimer’s investiture ceremony.

“I came to know Chief Justice Weimer through casual conversations with him when I would encounter him after Mass on various occasions. It was clear to me from my interactions with him that he is a man of great dedication to his Catholic faith and to his family. It has always been a joy to be in his presence. My involvement in his investiture as Chief Justice enabled me to get to know him also from the perspective of his responsibilities as a justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court. It was clear from those who spoke at the investiture that Chief Justice Weimer is very dedicated to his responsibilities in this regard, as well,” says Bishop Fabre.

“Chief Justice Weimer will serve the Louisiana Supreme Court very well. I am certain that he will seek after and administer justice, serve the common good, and, as a person of great faith, have the guidance and assistance of the Holy Spirit with him. I pledge my prayers for him in this great honor and responsibility placed upon him,” adds the bishop.

Chief Justice Weimer says his faith keeps him grounded. “My wife's family had a deep Catholic faith and they have been a major influence on my life. My faith has influenced my belief that those who hold public office are servants.”
At his investiture, Chief Justice Weimer referred to the Scripture reading 1 Kings 3:5, where God offered to Solomon anything he wished. “Solomon did not ask for riches or a long life, instead Solomon requested from God … Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong,” says Chief Justice Weimer. “In closing, I asked for people’s prayers that all judges have an understanding heart and that they be good servants as they toil in the vineyards of justice.”

Chief Justice Weimer says he recalls his family frequently attending St. Luke the Evangelist Church parish in Thibodaux when he was child. They became parishioners of St. Genevieve in Thibodaux when it was established in 1959. He says he remembers attending Mass in a large warehouse on St. Mary Hwy. that had been converted into a church and attending the first Mass that was celebrated in the parish’s newly built church on Barbier Ave. He was also a first grader in the first group of students that attended St. Genevieve Elementary School when it opened in 1960.

Chief Justice Weimer graduated from Thibodaux High School, and was an academic honors and Hall of Fame graduate of Nicholls State University, where he served as student body president twice. He received his juris doctorate from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, and went into private practice in Thibodaux from 1980-1995. Prior to taking the bench, Chief Justice Weimer was a full-time faculty member at Nicholls State University (1982-1997) as a professor of business law and ethics.

Chief Justice Weimer says he knew he wanted to study law before he went to college because he perceived that the skills he needed to be an attorney matched to some extent the skills the Lord had blessed him with: The desire to help people, wanting to be of service, enjoyment of reading, analyzing problems, writing and speaking.

“My decision was reinforced by a lot of wonderful people that came in and out of my life. Judge Randy Parro did business with my father at his service station where I used to help out as a teenager. I asked him once what it would take to become an attorney. We ended up practicing law together and he was the one who convinced the Supreme Court to appoint me to serve as a district judge while he was serving on the Court of Appeals. Later, I was elected to the Court of Appeals where we served together again. Other people like Congressman Billy Tauzin that I worked with in the Legislature, former Speaker of the House and General Hunt Downer, and my cousin Deacon Dan Borné were all very influential in my career, also.”

He adds that he and his classmates Danny Cavell, an attorney from Thibodaux; Billy Stark, an attorney from Houma; John Perry, an attorney from Baton Rouge; Roy Willis, an attorney from Houma; and the late Jimmy Dagate and Jerry Herman, attorneys from Houma, were undergraduates together; all went to law school at the same time, and have remained good friends after all these decades.

Chief Justice Weimer has been married to Penny Hymel, a former elementary school teacher, for 33 years, and the couple has three daughters: Jacqueline, 30; Katherine, 27; and Emily, 24; and one grandchild, with another one on the way.

After he met his wife, they attended Christ the Redeemer Church parish and took their children there; he also served as a member of the parish’s pastoral council for over 20 years. Now, he says his children take him and his wife to St. Joseph Co-Cathedral in Thibodaux.

Being an attorney, judge and now chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court has been a time-consuming career. Chief Justice Weimer says as much as he could, he always tried to work around his children's schedules, even if it meant bringing his laptop to their sporting events. “After our second daughter was born, my wife and I made a conscience decision that she would leave teaching and be a full-time mom, and she has been absolutely remarkable and outstanding. Penny is very supportive and understands the demands on my time. She has been able to balance multiple schedules and tasks over the years. She really took care of her family. I am blessed!”

Chief Justice Weimer began his judicial career serving as Judge pro tempore, Division D, of the 17th Judicial District Court in 1993 following an appointment by the Louisiana Supreme Court. In 1995, he was elected to serve as Judge, Division A, of the 17th Judicial District Court and re-elected in 1996 without opposition. He was elected to serve on Louisiana's First Circuit Court of Appeal in 1998.

His service on the Supreme Court began in 2001 when he was elected to serve as an associate justice, District 6, which is comprised of the parishes of Assumption, Iberia, Lafourche, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Charles, St. James, St. John the Baptist, St. Martin, St. Mary, Terrebonne, and a portion of the west bank of Jefferson, which includes Grand Isle. He was re-elected to consecutive 10-year terms without opposition.

Chief Justice Weimer has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors including the Victims and Citizens Against Crime Outstanding Judicial Award, the Crimefighters, Inc. Outstanding Jurist Award; the Outstanding Alumni Award and the 50th Anniversary Golden Graduate Award from Nicholls State University, the Presidential Award for Teaching Excellence and was also named to Who's Who Among America's Teachers. In 2006, he was named as one of the leading judges in America by The Law Dragon, a national publication.

He formerly served on the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Center for Law and Civic Education, frequently teaches at schools throughout the district he serves, re-established and coordinates the Lafourche Parish Student Government Day Program, and was recognized for his significant assistance in establishing the Lafourche Parish Drug Treatment Court.

Chief Justice Weimer also serves as a volunteer in the Thibodaux Volunteer Fire Department, Fire Company No. 1, and is an award winning self-taught amateur painter whose donated works have raised thousands of dollars for countless charities.