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HONORABLE JUDGE YVETTE
ALEXANDER
Baton Rouge
City Court
Born Yvette
Mansfield, on June 23, 1956, in Monroe,
Louisiana; she is the daughter of Mae Francis
and Andrew Mansfield. She has two daughters,
Nicole and NaKesha. She is a member of the Star
Hill Baptist Church. Judge Alexander
earned a J.D. from the
Louisiana State University Law Center in 1979,
where she attended law school on the Earl Warren
Legal Scholarship. She earned a B.A. in
Political Science from Grambling State
University in 1989.
Judge Alexander
began her legal career as counsel for the
Louisiana State Legislature and the Louisiana
State Senate. Realizing that Criminal Law was
her forte, she began working at the East Baton
Rouge Parish Public Defender’s Office and the
law firm of Moore and Moore in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana. From 1988-1995, she served as Chief
Legal Counsel for the Louisiana Department of
State under Secretary of State Fox McKeithen and
as an Ex-Officio Member of both the Louisiana
State Bond Commission and the Louisiana School
Employees Retirement System. She also served as
an Assistant Attorney General for the Louisiana
Attorney General’s Office. Judge Alexander
practiced law for over 17 years before being
elected to the bench. In 1995, she was elected
to Division D of the Baton Rouge City Court.
She was the first African American woman to be
elected to the Baton Rouge City Court. And the
First African American woman to serve as Chief
Judge of that court which position she holds
today.
Judge Alexander is a
member of the following Associations: Louis A.
Martinet Legal Society (Past President), Baton
Rouge Bar Association, American Judges
Association, National Association of Women
Judges, LSU Law Center Black Alumni (Past
President) and the Baton Rouge Association of
Women Attorneys. She also participates in the
Louisiana Lupus Foundation, YMCA, Delta Sigma
Theta Sorority (Life Member), NAACP (Life
Member), Dean Henry G. Mc Mahan, American Inn of
Court, Grambling State University Alumni
Association, Charles P. Adams Chapter (Past
President). Louisiana
State Bar Association – Judicial Council
(Financial Secretary) and the National Bar
Association. She is a past President of the
Louisiana Judicial Council of the National Bar
Association. As President of the Louisiana
Judicial Council she spearheaded the creation of
the Louisiana Black Judges Association
Scholarship program.
Judge Alexander
became interested in community and public
service at a young age after working on her
father’s election committee. She realized she
wanted to become a Judge early in her legal
career because of many Judges’ inferior
treatment of defendants. She vowed to work
towards changing this treacherousness. She
believes that in order to change a system you
must be in a decision making position in that
system. She has worked diligently towards this
goal. Her campaign slogan was “Your Voice for
Justice”. She believes that all Judges should
strive to administer justice with fairness and
compassion.
Her Mantra: Let go
of what you think life should be and just enjoy
the life you have. That doesn’t mean you
shouldn’t strive for a better life it only means
that you should not be consumed by what you
don’t have and miss out on enjoying the
wonderful life you have. She is the recipient
of numerous awards. Some of which are: Alumnus
of the Year – Grambling State University; Beacon
Award for Excellence in the Judiciary; City of
Alexandria. Martin Luther King Award; National
Association of Black Criminal Justice Speaker
Award; Rayville Black History Award Honoree; FCC
Black Affairs Award; Grambling State University
College of Liberal Arts Award; 4th
District Black Achievement Award; and City of
Baton Rouge Award of Gratitude
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