Judge C. Hearn Taylor

C. Hearn Taylor, a husband and a father with deep roots in the City of New Orleans, is a native Virginian. Elected Chief Judge of Orleans Parish Juvenile Court in 2002, Judge Taylor was born in Charlottesville, Virginia; a city nestled in the foothills of the magnificent Blue Ridge Mountains. C. Hearn Taylor lived in Charlottesville until he left to attend college. In 1975 C. Hearn Taylor completed his course of study at Howard University in Washington D.C. and was awarded a Bachelor Degree in Political Science. Judge Taylor’s career leaning as he left Howard University was to become a lawyer. His interest in law landed him in Louisiana at Southern University Law School. He graduated in 1978 and returned to Washington, D.C. C. Hearn Taylor made the city of New Orleans his new residence in 1983. From 1983 to 1991 C. Hearn Taylor passionately and productively maintained a private law practice. He ended his practice when he was elected without opposition to an Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judgeship. In 1996 Judge Taylor was reelected to the bench, once again winning office with opposition. Judge Taylor’s life had been punctuated with noteworthy achievements. As a teenager, Judge Taylor was a participant in the desegregation of public schools in the City of Charlottesville. He was one of the first of his race to attend a formerly segregated high school in his hometown. Years later while in law school, Judge Taylor became the first African American to preside at an annual convention of the Law Student Division of the American Bar Association. And also during law school, Judge Taylor became the first African American to work as a law clerk in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana. When C. Hearn Taylor was elected to a judgeship, he was already accustomed to facing the demands of tough challenges. Obligated to the law and committed to community service, Judge Taylor stretches the limits of his time, talent and treasure to serve his fellow man. At various times he has been a member of more than twenty-five committees, commissions, boards, organizations and associations. WWL-TV and the City Park Commission are two examples of the more demanding of his community service involvements. From 1994 to 1996 Judge Taylor was on the air weekly as a guest commentator on crime in the community. At City Park, the fifth largest urban park in the nation with a governing body dating back to 1892, Judge Taylor served consecutive one year terms as President of the Board of Commissioners, and his election made him the first African American to serve in such a capacity at City Park. Avoiding the spotlight for community service as often as he could, Judge Taylor was “cornered” on occasions to accept recognition for his work. In 1995 the New Orleans Museum of Art presented a major exhibit entitled “The Peaceful Liberators”: Jain Art from India. The works of the exhibit represented centuries old Indian culture that inspired a belief in non-violence in some of the world’s greatest peacekeepers including Mahatma Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela. One of the highlights of the exhibit was ceremony honoring a small group; “New Orleans Peaceful Liberators.” Judge Taylor, for his years of working with children and families, was among the honorees. Judge C. Hearn Taylor is married to the former Janice Faye Chenier, the first African American female to be appointed a United Stated Trustee in the United States Department of Justice. Judge and Mrs. Taylor are the proud parents of Chenier Hearn Taylor, a graduate of Benjamin Franklin High School and Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and currently employed as an advertising executive at We are Social, N.Y.; Also survived by a sister, a brother, sisters in law, brothers in law and a host nieces, nephews, cousins, other relatives and friends. Relatives and friends of the family are invited to attend a Visitation Service at DW Rhodes Chapel, 3933 Washington Ave. on Thursday, August 28, 2014 from 4 pm – 10 pm; Remembrance: 7 pm; Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, August 29, 2014 at St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, 4640 Canal St. at 10:30 am; Interment: To be announced; Arrangements by Rhodes; Please visit www. rhodesfuneral.com to sign the guestbook.

Judge C. Hearn Taylor

August 21, 2014