Israel Augustine Jr.
*Israel Meyer Augustine, Jr. was born on this date in 1924. He was a Black lawyer, activist, and judge.
From New Orleans, he graduated from McDonough 35 High School; he also received a B.A. from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He obtained his law degree from Lincoln University in St. Louis, Missouri. In 1951, he was admitted to the Louisiana Bar, and in 1962, he was allowed to practice before the Supreme Court.
In 1970, Israel M. Augustine, Jr. became the first black elected judge in the Criminal District Court in Louisiana. In 1971, he presided over the Black Panther Trial, a case that brought him national attention. Augustine, a champion of the people, established several community programs such as the "Roots" Homecoming Program, the First Offender, and Angola Awareness. Israel Meyer Augustine Middle School in Orleans Parish is named after him. Judge Augustine died of Lou Gehrig's disease on August 29, 1994, and is buried in Mount Olivet Cemetery.
In addition to having a school named after him, the Orleans Criminal District Court at Tulane Avenue and S. Broad Street " near the middle school " was renamed the Israel M. Augustine Criminal Justice Center in 1996.
