Breaking Barriers

With his election to City Court, Freddie Pitcher Jr. was the first African American elected to a judgeship in Baton Rouge. He was also the first Black person elected to both the 19th Judicial District Court and the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. Upon his retirement from the bench in 1997, and after a six-year stint as a partner in a major law firm, he served as Chancellor of the Southern University Law Center from 2003 until 2015. Pitcher is the recipient of numerous honors and awards, including the G. Leon Netterville Award for Outstanding Achievement in Law from Southern University and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society.

"It's not every day that you get to meet and know a history maker. Not only have I known a history maker for more than thirty years, but reliving his life in this wonderful book was truly a pleasure. Judge Pitcher draws a vivid picture of his pioneering role in civil rights work in his childhood home of Baton Rouge. This book should be a must-read for any young person in Louisiana."--James M. Douglas, Distinguished Professor of Law at Thurgood Marshall School of Law and former president of Texas Southern University "Breaking Barriers: A View from the Bench is a marvelous and valuable account written by a talented and consequential leader. The book gives insight into the history of African American life in Baton Rouge--and in a larger sense throughout Louisiana and the South--during the Jim Crow era. It also reveals Freddie Pitcher Jr., the first elected Black judge in East Baton Rouge Parish, as savvy and strategic. Among other tactics, he shows how to win elected office by using different approaches and techniques for Black and white voters. His success as a crossover candidate was significant in Louisiana politics. We owe him a debt of gratitude for this memoir."--Charles Vincent, professor of history, Southern University and A&M College "Judge Pitcher has crafted a riveting account of a life filled with significant triumphs against all odds. His story is a portrait of Baton Rouge and the American South, showing that a great man can make a difference despite institutional obstacles."--Jim Engster, president of Louisiana Radio Network and host of Talk Louisiana "Recounting the history of his trailblazing career, Judge Freddie Pitcher Jr. reveals the inside stories of getting around some significant odds. His memoir is inspiring and confidence-building, offering a hopeful lesson that success is often possible if you try and never give up. You will be glad, as I am, that he shares his journey as a man of many career firsts in Breaking Barriers: A View from the Bench."--Hon. Bernette Joshua Johnson, Chief Justice, Louisiana Supreme Court (Ret.)