Tucker L. Melancon
Encyclopedia
Tucker L. Melancon is an American judge who serves on the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
in Lafayette, Louisiana
. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton
. He is serving on senior status.
with a Bachelor of Science
degree in 1968. He finished studies at Tulane Law School in 1973. He was a managing partner at Melancon & Rabalais, private practice with his colleague, Rodney M. Rabalais, in Marksville, Louisiana
, 1973-93.
On the unanimous recommendation of Louisiana U.S. Senators John Breaux
and Bennett Johnston, Melancon was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 18, 1993 to a seat vacated by Tom Stagg
as Stagg assumed senior status. Melancon was Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 10, 1994 on a Senate vote and received his commission the following day.
Bar Admissions
, tax evasion
, drug trafficking
, cross burning
, as well as issues where the First Amendment
and Clean Water Act
standards were at stake or being violated. However, his legacy might be his devotion to desegregation
in public schools in the parishes which fall under his jurisdiction, i.e. St. Landry
, Evangeline
, and Franklin
, among others.
He sentenced one Evangeline Parish board member to ten days of incarceration
with three days suspension, as well as high fines for criminal contempt (or contempt of court
) a charge to which the Board member had pleaded guilty for attempting to manipulate a court-ordered employment process. One fine, US $3,000, was, according to Melancon, retribution for what he said was the board member's violation of the Court's desegregation
order. Judge Melancon was cited in one Fifth Circuit
decision as having been "heavy handed" and tending towards "over management" in his dealings with the parish School Boards on the desegregation
issues
In November 2009, Melancon was a visiting judge presiding over cases relating to the Staten Island
ferry disaster in New York
.
in 2003. After undergoing a mastectomy
, radiation therapy
, and chemotherapy
, the cancer went into remission but resurfaced three years later. His wife, Diana Moore, helped him carve out a raw foods diet
they learned from the Hippocrates Health Institute in Palm Beach, Florida
. A German study in 2003 concluded that a diet of raw vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.
United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
The United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport...
in Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette, Louisiana
Lafayette is a city in and the parish seat of Lafayette Parish, Louisiana, United States, on the Vermilion River. The population was 120,623 at the 2010 census...
. He joined the court in 1994 after being nominated by President Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
. He is serving on senior status.
Education and career
Melancon graduated from Louisiana State UniversityLouisiana State University
Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, most often referred to as Louisiana State University, or LSU, is a public coeducational university located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The University was founded in 1853 in what is now known as Pineville, Louisiana, under the name...
with a Bachelor of Science
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in 1968. He finished studies at Tulane Law School in 1973. He was a managing partner at Melancon & Rabalais, private practice with his colleague, Rodney M. Rabalais, in Marksville, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, 1973-93.
On the unanimous recommendation of Louisiana U.S. Senators John Breaux
John Breaux
John Berlinger Breaux is a former United States senator from Louisiana who served from 1987 until 2005. He was also a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1972 to 1987. He was considered one of the more conservative national legislators from the Democratic Party...
and Bennett Johnston, Melancon was nominated by President Bill Clinton on November 18, 1993 to a seat vacated by Tom Stagg
Tom Stagg
Thomas Eaton "Tom" Stagg, Jr. , is a Louisiana attorney, businessman, politician, and jurist who has served as a United States federal judge for the Western District of Louisiana since his appointment by President Richard Nixon in the spring of 1974...
as Stagg assumed senior status. Melancon was Confirmed by the U.S. Senate on February 10, 1994 on a Senate vote and received his commission the following day.
Bar Admissions
- Louisiana, 1973
- United States District Court for the Eastern District of LouisianaUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of LouisianaThe U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a federal trial court based in New Orleans. Like all U.S...
, 1974 - United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
, 1979 - United States District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana, 1980
- United States District Court for the Western District of LouisianaUnited States District Court for the Western District of LouisianaThe United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana is a United States federal court with jurisdiction over approximately two thirds of the state of Louisiana, with courts in Alexandria, Lafayette, Lake Charles, Monroe and Shreveport...
, 1985 - United States Supreme Court, 1985
Notable cases
Melancon has presided over a number of cases in his judicial tenure of fifteen years. He has heard a variety of trials, including class actionClass action
In law, a class action, a class suit, or a representative action is a form of lawsuit in which a large group of people collectively bring a claim to court and/or in which a class of defendants is being sued...
, tax evasion
Tax evasion
Tax evasion is the general term for efforts by individuals, corporations, trusts and other entities to evade taxes by illegal means. Tax evasion usually entails taxpayers deliberately misrepresenting or concealing the true state of their affairs to the tax authorities to reduce their tax liability,...
, drug trafficking
Illegal drug trade
The illegal drug trade is a global black market, dedicated to cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of those substances which are subject to drug prohibition laws. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs by drug prohibition laws.A UN report said the...
, cross burning
Cross burning
Cross burning or cross lighting is a practice widely associated with the Ku Klux Klan, although the historical practice long predates the Klan's inception...
, as well as issues where the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
and Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
standards were at stake or being violated. However, his legacy might be his devotion to desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
in public schools in the parishes which fall under his jurisdiction, i.e. St. Landry
St. Landry Parish, Louisiana
St. Landry Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is at the heart of Acadian/Cajun culture and heritage in Louisiana. The parish seat is Opelousas. According to the 2010 census, the population of St. Landry Parish is 83,384.St...
, Evangeline
Evangeline Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 35,434 people, 12,736 households, and 9,157 families residing in the parish. The population density was 53 people per square mile . There were 14,258 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
, and Franklin
Franklin Parish, Louisiana
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 21,263 people, 7,754 households, and 5,706 families residing in the parish. The population density was 34 people per square mile . There were 8,623 housing units at an average density of 14 per square mile...
, among others.
He sentenced one Evangeline Parish board member to ten days of incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
with three days suspension, as well as high fines for criminal contempt (or contempt of court
Contempt of court
Contempt of court is a court order which, in the context of a court trial or hearing, declares a person or organization to have disobeyed or been disrespectful of the court's authority...
) a charge to which the Board member had pleaded guilty for attempting to manipulate a court-ordered employment process. One fine, US $3,000, was, according to Melancon, retribution for what he said was the board member's violation of the Court's desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
order. Judge Melancon was cited in one Fifth Circuit
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit
The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana...
decision as having been "heavy handed" and tending towards "over management" in his dealings with the parish School Boards on the desegregation
Desegregation
Desegregation is the process of ending the separation of two groups usually referring to races. This is most commonly used in reference to the United States. Desegregation was long a focus of the American Civil Rights Movement, both before and after the United States Supreme Court's decision in...
issues
In November 2009, Melancon was a visiting judge presiding over cases relating to the Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
ferry disaster in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Cancer
Melancon was diagnosed with stage-three breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
in 2003. After undergoing a mastectomy
Mastectomy
Mastectomy is the medical term for the surgical removal of one or both breasts, partially or completely. Mastectomy is usually done to treat breast cancer; in some cases, women and some men believed to be at high risk of breast cancer have the operation prophylactically, that is, to prevent cancer...
, radiation therapy
Radiation therapy
Radiation therapy , radiation oncology, or radiotherapy , sometimes abbreviated to XRT or DXT, is the medical use of ionizing radiation, generally as part of cancer treatment to control malignant cells.Radiation therapy is commonly applied to the cancerous tumor because of its ability to control...
, and chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
, the cancer went into remission but resurfaced three years later. His wife, Diana Moore, helped him carve out a raw foods diet
Raw foodism
Raw foodism is the practice of consuming uncooked, unprocessed, and often organic foods as a large percentage of the diet....
they learned from the Hippocrates Health Institute in Palm Beach, Florida
Palm Beach, Florida
The Town of Palm Beach is an incorporated town in Palm Beach County, Florida, United States. The Intracoastal Waterway separates it from the neighboring cities of West Palm Beach and Lake Worth...
. A German study in 2003 concluded that a diet of raw vegetables can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer.
Quotes
- "Nothing is more sacred than the First Amendment... You don't change the standard just because it involves minors." He said these words in August 2000 during the Skate Zone trial in Iberia ParishIberia Parish, LouisianaIberia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is New Iberia. As of 2000, the population was 73,266.Iberia Parish is part of the New Iberia Micropolitan Statistical Area as well as the Lafayette–Acadiana Combined Statistical Area.Iberia, along with...
.
Other Roles
- Board Member, National Coalition for Cancer SurvivorshipNational Coalition for Cancer SurvivorshipThe National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship is a 501 nonprofit organization cancer advocacy organization based just outside of Washington, DC in Silver Spring, MD...
- President, Avoyelles ParishAvoyelles Parish, LouisianaAvoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...
Bar Association (1977-1978 - House of Delegates, Louisiana State BarLouisiana Bar ExamThe Louisiana Bar Exam is a three day long examination used to determine whether a candidate is qualified to practice law in the state of Louisiana. The Louisiana exam holds the distinction of being the longest bar exam in the United States, consisting of 21 and a half hours of examination on nine...
Association (1973-1975 and 1990-1994) - Bar Association for the FirstUnited States Court of Appeals for the First CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...
and Fifth Federal CircuitUnited States Court of Appeals for the Fifth CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* Eastern District of Louisiana* Middle District of Louisiana... - Federal Bar Association (New Orleans chapter)
- Louisiana Bar Foundation
- American Judicature SocietyAmerican Judicature SocietyThe American Judicature Society is an independent, nonpartisan, national organization of judges, lawyers, and interested members of the public whose mission is to improve the American justice system - to "secure and promote an independent and qualified judiciary and fair system of justice." ...
- Member, American Inns of Court, Judge Fred Fudickar Chapter
- Member, American Inns of CourtAmerican Inns of Court FoundationAmerican Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar. An American Inn of Court is an amalgam of judges, lawyers, and in some cases, law professors and law students...
, Cross-Roads American Inn of Court of AlexandriaAlexandria, LouisianaAlexandria is a city in and the parish seat of Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It lies on the south bank of the Red River in almost the exact geographic center of the state. It is the principal city of the Alexandria metropolitan area which encompasses all of Rapides and Grant parishes....
-PinevillePineville, LouisianaPineville is a city in Rapides Parish, Louisiana, United States. It is adjacent to the city of Alexandria, and is part of that city's Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 13,829 at the 2000 census....
Chapter - Member, American Inns of CourtAmerican Inns of Court FoundationAmerican Inns of Court are designed to improve the skills, professionalism and ethics of the bench and bar. An American Inn of Court is an amalgam of judges, lawyers, and in some cases, law professors and law students...
, John M. Dube Chapter - Louisiana Workers' Compensation Advisory Board (1990-1991)
- Committee to Study Backlog in the Courts of AppealUnited States court of appealsThe United States courts of appeals are the intermediate appellate courts of the United States federal court system...
, FirstUnited States Court of Appeals for the First CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the First Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts in the following districts:* District of Maine* District of Massachusetts...
and ThirdUnited States Court of Appeals for the Third CircuitThe United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit is a federal court with appellate jurisdiction over the district courts for the following districts:* District of Delaware* District of New Jersey...
Circuits, by appointment of the Louisiana Supreme CourtLouisiana Supreme CourtThe Supreme Court of Louisiana 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 Orleans....
, 1991 - American Trial Lawyers' AssociationAssociation of Trial Lawyers of AmericaThe American Association for Justice , formerly the Association of Trial Lawyers of America is the leading organization for lawyers representing plaintiffs in the United States...
- President Advisory Board, Louisiana Trial Lawyers' Association
Further reading
- Burgess, Richard: "Federal judge plans Evangeline School Board investigation". Baton Rouge Advocate. September 17, 2005
- Burgess, Richard: "Family gets new cocaine case trial". Baton Rouge Advocate. September 1, 2006.