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ENROLLED
2026 Regular Session
HOUSE RESOLUTION NO. 64
BY REPRESENTATIVE WALTERS
A RESOLUTION
To commemorate the legacy of Shreveport native Johnnie Cochran, Jr.
WHEREAS, it is with immense pride that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana recognizes Johnnie Cochran, Jr., for his achievements as a litigator
and civil libertarian and commemorates the legacy of his work; and
WHEREAS, Johnnie L. Cochran, Jr., was born on October 2, 1937, in Shreveport,
Louisiana, to Johnnie Cochran, Sr., and Hattie B. Cochran; he grew up with two sisters, Pearl
and Martha Jean, during a period when Louisiana was reeling from the effects of the Great
Depression and remained deeply entrenched in Jim Crow laws; and
WHEREAS, Johnnie moved to California with his family at the age of six; the family
eventually settled in Los Angeles, and he lived there for the remainder of his life; he
attended Los Angeles High School, where he was a member of the honor society; and
WHEREAS, Thurgood Marshall inspired a sixteen-year-old Johnnie to study law by
successfully arguing that the "separate but equal" doctrine was unconstitutional during the
historic 1954 case, Brown v. Board of Education; and
WHEREAS, Johnnie attended the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and
graduated in 1959; he enrolled at Loyola Law School and soon became the first African
American law clerk in the Los Angeles City Attorney's Office; his superiors noticed his
fascination with trial work and assigned him to represent the city in small claims court; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran graduated from Loyola Law School on June 1, 1962, and
began preparation for the California Bar Exam; after learning that he passed the exam, he
returned to the city attorney's office as a deputy attorney; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran began his work as an attorney on January 10, 1963, and
by 1965, he was regarded as one of the city attorney's top trial lawyers; he left the city
attorney's office in March 1965 and began a private practice with Gerald D. Lenoir; soon
after, he represented numerous clients who were involved in the Watts Riots and renewed
his commitment to effect change in the criminal and civil justice systems; and
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HR NO. 64 ENROLLED
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran started his own practice with a goal to remedy the
disconnect between the community and local government by working within the legal
system; while continuing his criminal defense work, he began handling an increasing
number of civil cases; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran was appointed to represented Willie Stafford, a member
of the Black Panther Party, following a December 1969 shootout between the party, the FBI,
and the LAPD's Criminal Conspiracy Division; in December 1971, he made his closing
arguments in defense of Stafford and the other party members on trial; he secured not guilty
verdicts for the majority of the seventy-two charges alleged against his clients; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran worked tirelessly to overturn Geronimo Pratt's wrongful
murder conviction; Mr. Pratt was a Black Panther Party leader and decorated veteran of the
Vietnam War who received two Bronze Stars, a Silver Star, and two Purple Hearts for his
service; his conviction was vacated on June 10, 1997, after twenty-seven years; and
WHEREAS, Mr. Cochran was known as the go-to attorney for many celebrities in
the 1990s; his clients included Tupac Shakur, Snoop Dogg, Sean Combs, Michael Jackson,
Jim Brown, and Riddick Bowe; he is most famously remembered as one of O.J. Simpson's
defense attorneys during the internationally televised trial; and
WHEREAS, Johnnie Cochran, Jr., was a dedicated servant of the people who
established himself as one of the best trial attorneys in American history, and it is most
fitting to honor his historic legacy.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the House of Representatives of the
Legislature of Louisiana does hereby commemorate the legacy of Shreveport native Johnnie
Cochran, Jr., and does hereby express enduring appreciation for his historic work as a trial
lawyer and civil libertarian.
SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
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