Judge Desiree Cook-Calvin

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Phone Number: (504) 658-9532 Email: dccalvin@nola.gov

A native New Orleanian, Desiree Cook-Calvin’s whole life has been a reflection of the values of faith, works, commitment, and dedication that her family instilled in her from the time she was a young girl growing up in New Orleans, Louisiana in the Hollygrove neighborhood.  The seventh of nine children, Desiree knows personally, the transformative power of education.  She graduated from Benjamin Franklin High School and continued her educational matriculation by attending and graduating from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  Upon earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in Applied History, she returned home to attend Tulane University Law School, where she earned her Juris Doctorate in 1994. 

Desiree Cook-Calvin’s professional career is indeed multifaceted.  Aside from managing her own law firm, where, on many occasions, she worked pro bono, she also volunteered at the Young Woman’s Christian Association (YWCA), serving survivors of domestic violence.  Likewise, she served as a staff attorney at Southeast Louisiana Legal Services, helping families who could not afford to have lawful representation.   While working as an adjunct professor at Southern University at New Orleans and Delgado Community College, Desiree invested her knowledge and experiences into her curriculum in order to prepare her students for real life challenges that they may encounter.   Additionally, she has served as an Assistant City Attorney and an Administrative Hearing Officer for the City of New Orleans.  Desiree is the mother of three wonderful children. Upon deciding to run for judge, they were three of the most pressing factors in her decision to choose the juvenile arena.  Moreover, when   asked why she ran for the juvenile bench, she relates her experiences as a leader in her church, Household of Faith, where she serves on the Board of Trustees and as a minister, to the times she has had to console mothers and fathers who lost their children to senseless acts.  Because we are losing our young people as victims and perpetrators of crime, she knew that we had to work diligently to change the system if we wanted to change the outcome.  Thus, after serving on the Orleans Parish Democratic Executive Committee from 2007-2015, Desiree Cook Calvin became Orleans Parish Juvenile Court Judge of Sec. E, on January 5, 2015.    

Though she has served on the bench for a short time, Judge Desiree Cook-Calvin has already made strides to assist in turning our youth around.  She has attended conferences for families in need of services, sex trafficking, and substance abuse in order to seek best practices to aid not only our children, but their families as well.  In March of 2016 she was appointed to serve on the Governor’s Children’s Cabinet. Additionally, she was appointed to serve on the Medal of Honor Committee for the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement.

Desiree serves as the Drug Court Judge of Juvenile Court as well as the Truancy Judge, in partnership with the Youth Opportunity Center.  She is also a great supporter of OPJC’s Courthouse Facility Dog Program, where Suzie, the courthouse facility dog, is used in her court to assist youth who are victims of Trauma.

Judge Cook-Calvin believes in taking a holistic approach to justice, where perpetrators will receive proper treatment and education while serving their sentences, so that they may be more productive citizens once released back into society.

Judge Cook-Calvin also continues to give back to the community by going into local schools speaking to our kids through the “Judges in the Classroom” program, and volunteering in “Know Your Rights” trainings.  Judge Desiree Cook-Calvin has truly devoted her life to service.  She also volunteers to speak to juveniles in juvenile facilities to continue to encourage them that they can make changes in their lives.

Boards and Affiliations

• State of Louisiana Governor’s Children’s Cabinet

• Louisiana District Judges Association

• National Bar Association

• Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement (Medal of Honor Committee)

• Christian Legal Society

• Louisiana State Bar Association

• Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, Inc. (African American Judges)

• Orleans Parish Democratic Committee Board (2007 - 2015)