Stanwood Duval
Encyclopedia
Stanwood Richardson Duval, Jr. (born February 8, 1942, is a U.S. District Court judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana
. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton
in 1994., and has his chambers in New Orleans.
Judge Duval is best known for having issued an injunction
in 2000 which barred the State of Louisiana from issuing "Choose Life" vanity automobile license plates, as the legislature had approved in 1999. Duval ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood of America, which took the view that the choice of displaying the plates violated the First Amendment
to the United States Constitution
because there was no alternative display available for supporters of abortion
. Judge Duval's opinion was unanimously reversed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on April 13, 2005. A petition for rehearing en banc was filed by the plaintiffs, and it was denied by an eight to eight vote of a divided court.
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
, where his father operated a successful insurance business and was prominent in community affairs. He graduated from Louisiana State University
in Baton Rouge, in 1964, and from the LSU law school in 1966. He was in the private practice of law in Houma from 1966–1994, when he assumed his seat on the federal bench. Having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 28, 1994, Duval succeeded Judge George Arceneaux, Jr.
He was also the assistant city attorney of Houma from 1970–1972 and the attorney for the consolidated Terrebonne Parish government from 1988-1993.
, Duval is a nephew of former state Senator Claude Berwick Duval, I
, (1914–1986), a conservative
Democrat who represented mostly Terrebonne and neighboring St. Mary Parish
between 1968 and 1980. Judge Duval's brother, C. Berwick Duval, II (born November 1, 1955), is a prominent Houma attorney.
candidate, Bobby L. Jindal
, lashed out at "liberal" judges. According to WWL-TV's website: "A campaign mailing by supporters of . . . Jindal has a New Orleans-based federal judge and members of his Houma family seeing red. The literature, though it doesn't specifically name him, labels U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval, II, as a 'left-wing' jurist."
Judge Duval also issued rulings in 2005 and 2006 in reference to the constitutional rights of victims of Hurricane Katrina
. He extended the time that hurricane evacuees could continue receiving taxpayer-funded hotel stays. In addition to the above Katrina rulings, on November 19, 2009, Judge Duval issued a ruling stating that the Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in maintaining flood protection that resulted in significant flooding during Hurricane Katrina
.
United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
The U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a federal trial court based in New Orleans. Like all U.S...
. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
in 1994., and has his chambers in New Orleans.
Judge Duval is best known for having issued an injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
in 2000 which barred the State of Louisiana from issuing "Choose Life" vanity automobile license plates, as the legislature had approved in 1999. Duval ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood of America, which took the view that the choice of displaying the plates violated the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
because there was no alternative display available for supporters of abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
. Judge Duval's opinion was unanimously reversed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on April 13, 2005. A petition for rehearing en banc was filed by the plaintiffs, and it was denied by an eight to eight vote of a divided court.
Early career
Duval was born in New Orleans to Stanwood Richardson Duval, Sr. (1913–2001), and the former Bonnie Parker Faught. He grew up in HoumaHouma, Louisiana
Houma is a city in and the parish seat of Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana, and the largest principal city of the Houma–Bayou Cane–Thibodaux Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's powers of government have been absorbed by the parish, which is now run by the Terrebonne Parish...
, the seat of Terrebonne Parish
Terrebonne Parish, Louisiana
Terrebonne Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Houma. Its population was 111,860...
, where his father operated a successful insurance business and was prominent in community affairs. He graduated from Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
in Baton Rouge, in 1964, and from the LSU law school in 1966. He was in the private practice of law in Houma from 1966–1994, when he assumed his seat on the federal bench. Having been confirmed by the U.S. Senate on September 28, 1994, Duval succeeded Judge George Arceneaux, Jr.
George Arceneaux, Jr.
George Arceneaux, Jr. was a United States federal judge.Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Arceneaux was in the United States Army from 1951 to 1952, then received a B.A. from Louisiana State University in 1949 and a J.D. from American University, Washington College of Law in 1957. He was an...
He was also the assistant city attorney of Houma from 1970–1972 and the attorney for the consolidated Terrebonne Parish government from 1988-1993.
Family connections
A DemocratDemocratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, Duval is a nephew of former state Senator Claude Berwick Duval, I
Claude B. Duval
Claude Berwick Duval, I , was a Houma, Louisiana, attorney and a conservative Democratic state senator from Terrebonne and St. Mary parishes, having served from 1968 to 1980...
, (1914–1986), a conservative
American conservatism
Conservatism in the United States has played an important role in American politics since the 1950s. Historian Gregory Schneider identifies several constants in American conservatism: respect for tradition, support of republicanism, preservation of "the rule of law and the Christian religion", and...
Democrat who represented mostly Terrebonne and neighboring St. Mary Parish
St. Mary Parish, Louisiana
St. Mary Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Franklin. As of 2000, the population was 53,500.The Morgan City Micropolitan Statistical Area includes all of St. Mary Parish.-Geography:...
between 1968 and 1980. Judge Duval's brother, C. Berwick Duval, II (born November 1, 1955), is a prominent Houma attorney.
Other notable events
The judge became an object of political consideration in the 2003 gubernatorial campaign, when the unsuccessful RepublicanRepublican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
candidate, Bobby L. Jindal
Bobby Jindal
Piyush "Bobby" Jindal is the 55th and current Governor of Louisiana and formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives. He is a member of the Republican Party....
, lashed out at "liberal" judges. According to WWL-TV's website: "A campaign mailing by supporters of . . . Jindal has a New Orleans-based federal judge and members of his Houma family seeing red. The literature, though it doesn't specifically name him, labels U.S. District Judge Stanwood Duval, II, as a 'left-wing' jurist."
Judge Duval also issued rulings in 2005 and 2006 in reference to the constitutional rights of victims of Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. He extended the time that hurricane evacuees could continue receiving taxpayer-funded hotel stays. In addition to the above Katrina rulings, on November 19, 2009, Judge Duval issued a ruling stating that the Army Corps of Engineers was negligent in maintaining flood protection that resulted in significant flooding during Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
.