Vanessa Harris is an American lawyer and judge serving as judge pro tempore of the

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

City Court. She was the first woman and African-American

Opelousas :''Opelousas is also a common name of the flathead catfish.'' Opelousas (french: Les Opélousas; Spanish: ''Los Opeluzás'') is a small city and the parish seat of St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. Interstate 49 and U.S. Route 190 were ...

City Court Judge. Harris was an assistant district attorney in

St. Landry Parish, Louisiana St. Landry Parish (french: Paroisse de Saint-Landry) is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. As of the 2010 Census, the population was 83,384. The parish seat is Opelousas. The parish was established in 1807. St. Landry Parish com ...

from 1988 to 2008.

Early life and education

Harris is from

Washington, Louisiana Washington is a village in St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 742 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Opelousas–Eunice Micropolitan Statistical Area. Washington was the largest inland port between New Orlean ...

. Her father, Aaron Harris, is a lawyer. Alonzo Harris is her brother. She earned a B.S. in computer science at

Southern University Southern University and A&M College (Southern University, Southern, SUBR or SU) is a public historically black land-grant university in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is the largest historically black college or university (HBCU) in Louisiana, a ...

in 1985. She completed a J.D. at

Southern University Law Center Southern University Law Center is a public law school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. It is part of the historically black Southern University System and was opened for instruction in September 1947. It was authorized by the Louisiana State Board ...

in 1988.

Career

Harris worked at the Harris & Harris Law Firm with her father, Aaron Harris since 1988. She was an assistant district attorney in

from 1988 to 2008. Harris prosecuted juvenile cases and worked on civil cases like school truancies. Harris was elected on January 1, 2009 to serve on the

City Court. She is the first woman and African American to serve on that court. She retired in December 2020. In December 2021, Harris was appointed by the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...

to serve as judge pro tempore of the Lafayette City Court from December 17, 2021 through February 28, 2022. She replaces Michelle Odinet. Harris is the first African-American judge appointed to the Lafayette City Court.

Personal life

Harris was married to Howard Kennerson. She is married to Senic M. Batiste. She has three daughters.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Vanessa Living people Year of birth missing (living people) People from Washington, Louisiana 21st-century American judges African-American judges 20th-century American women lawyers 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American women lawyers 21st-century American lawyers Louisiana lawyers African-American women lawyers African-American lawyers Southern University Law Center alumni 21st-century African-American women 20th-century African-American women 21st-century American women judges