Freddie Pitcher, Jr.

Freddie Pitcher, Jr., retired judge and former Chancellor of the Southern University Law Center,  has a career of many firsts. He became the first African-American elected to a judgeship in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, with his election to the Baton Rouge City Court in April 1983. Freddie was the first African-American elected to the 19th Judicial District Court in a parish-wide election in 1987. He achieved another first with his election to the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal in 1992, without opposition. While serving on the First Circuit, he helped render more than 1,000 judicial opinions. He is the author of Breaking Barriers: A View from the Bench.