Paulette Riley Irons (born 1952 in

New Orleans, Louisiana New Orleans ( , ,New Orleans

) is New Orleans civil district court judge for Division M. In November 1994 she became the second female member of the

Louisiana Senate The Louisiana State Senate (french: Sénat de Louisiane) is the upper house of the state legislature of Louisiana. All senators serve four-year terms and are assigned to multiple committees. Composition The Louisiana State Senate is compose ...

. She served in the chamber until the end of the statutory limit of 12 years, ending in 2006. Irons represented Louisiana Senate District 4 in New Orleans. She previously represented Louisiana House of Representatives District 95 from 1992 to 1994. Irons ran for mayor of New Orleans in 2002, finishing in third place.

Background

While serving in the state senate, Irons was an active participant and leader in legislative committees including the Education, Insurance, Judiciary B, and Revenue and Fiscal Affairs Committees. She was an at-large member of the Bond Commission and Chair of the Senate Select Committee on Women and Children. Senator Irons has served on task forces including the Louisiana Women's Commission, the HIV/AIDS Commission, and the Council on Obesity Prevention and Management. Because of her belief that the rate of teenage pregnancy in Louisiana should be greatly reduced, Irons has actively worked with National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy State and Local Task Force. In 1995 she received the Alliance for Good Government's Legislator of the Year. She supported, along with Senator Don Cravins Sr., legislation to extend legal employment protection to homosexuals and lesbians. She encouraged young people to stay in school and to do their best academically. Home Box Office (HBO) honored Irons during Black History Month in February 2004 as one of 10 notable black women leaders in the "Hearing her voice, Telling her Story" competition. In 2001, Irons received the Good Housekeeping Award for Women in Government. Family Circle Magazine featured Irons for her work to reduce the rate of teenage pregnancy. A lifelong New Orleanian, Irons graduated from Booker T. Washington Senior High School in New Orleans, with honors. She received her bachelor's degree in business administration from Loyola University New Orleans and her juris doctor from

Tulane University Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. In addition to the usual common ...

where she pursued a concentration in public interest law. She achieved her educational success despite her impoverished background and situation as a teenage single parent. As a lawyer she has often represented defendants on the civil side and indigents charged with offenses on the criminal side. She also serves as a consulting lawyer for managers. She is a sole practitioner in the Paulette Irons Law Firm, established in 1992. Irons has been married for many years to Alvin Irons. She is the mother of Marseah and Paul and, as of 2009, has three grandsons: Daniel, Drew, and Dillon. Her interests off the job are to be with her family.Other articles about Irons can be located via th
Irons site on Pipl.com.
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References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irons, Paulette 1952 births Living people African-American state legislators in Louisiana African-American women in politics Democratic Party Louisiana state senators Louisiana lawyers Loyola University New Orleans alumni Tulane University alumni Tulane University Law School alumni Women state legislators in Louisiana American women judges 21st-century African-American people 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people 20th-century African-American women