Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Catherine “Kitty” Kimball continues to rapidly improve after successful surgery to remove a blockage which caused an ischemic stroke on Sunday, January 10, 2010.
Chief Justice Catherine Kimball continues to progress in her recovery from a stroke she suffered last Sunday, January 10, 2010. After being released from ICU last Wednesday, and spending a short time in a private room, Chief Justice Kimball was discharged from Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center in Baton Rouge on Friday. She was admitted to a Rehabilitation Hospital to begin post-stroke therapy, and her condition improves daily.
On January 19, 2009, the Louisiana Supreme Court released the following update: “The Kimball family is very thankful for everyone’s concern and prayers. In particular, Chief Justice Kimball and her family wish to express their gratitude for the life-saving actions of Acadian Ambulance, and her doctors and their teams at Our Lady of the Lake, especially Dr. Keith Hodge, Dr. Jon Olson, Dr. Dwayne Anderson and Dr. Scott Shuber. They also wish to thank the Our Lady of the Lake team for the excellent care throughout her stay, with special thanks to John Paul Funes with the Our Lady of the Lake Foundation.”
Chief Justice Kimball was born in Alexandria, Louisiana, on February 7, 1945, and now resides in Ventress, Louisiana. Justice Kimball received her law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center in 1970, after which she was a Law Clerk to Judge Nauman Scott of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. From 1971 – 1973, she was a Special Counsel with the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, and from 1973 -1981, she was General Counsel to the Louisiana Commission on law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, a portion of which time she also served as an Assistant District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District. Chief Justice Kimball was elected as a District Judge for the 18th Judicial District Court in 1982 and served as Chief Judge from 1990 – 1992, when she was elected as the first female Associate Justice to the Louisiana Supreme Court. On January 1, 2009, Justice Kimball became the first female Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.