About Rachael

Rachael D. Johnson was elected in April, 2017 to serve as Judge of Civil District Court, Division B in Orleans Parish, LA.  She was re-elected without opposition in July, 2020.  Immediately prior to being elected, she was a Senior Staff Attorney with the Law Offices of Julie E. Vaicius which serves as staff counsel in Louisiana for Hartford Insurance and its subsidiaries. 

 Judge Johnson began her legal career in 2005 as a law clerk for the Honorable Nadine Ramsey at Civil District Court in Orleans Parish.  In 2006, she became an associate at the Gary, Williams, Finney law firm in Stuart, Florida representing hundreds of plaintiffs in Vioxx litigation, personal injury and wrongful death cases.   She then worked as an assistant City Attorney with the City of Riviera Beach, FL, where she advised the city and its various boards on a variety of matters.   She is a 2005 graduate of Tulane Law School where she was a member of the juvenile litigation law clinic and served on the Executive board of the Black Law Students Association. Judge Johnson attended Spelman College in Atlanta, GA where she received a B.A. in Psychology in 1998.  She also has a Masters in Social Work from Smith College.  Judge Johnson practiced clinical and adoption social work in Atlanta, GA before returning to New Orleans for law school. 

Judge Johnson is active in several professional and civic organizations.  She currently serves as Secretary of the Judges and Lawyers Assistance Program and on the executive board of the A. P. Tureaud Chapter of the Inns of Court, the Louisiana Judicial Council- NBA, and the Paul S. Morton Scholarship Foundation. She is a past President of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, a former member of Louisiana State Bar Association Board of Governors and the Board of Directors of the Louisiana Association of Defense Counsel.  She is a member of United Fellowship Church and the New Orleans Chapter of the Links, Inc. Judge Johnson was born and raised in New Orleans and is proud graduate of McDonogh #35 Senior High School.