Conery president of judges’ association

Judge John E. Conery, of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal, became president of the American Judges Association (AJA) at the organization’s recent annual meeting in Seattle, Washington.
Conery previously served on the board of governors, executive committee and as secretary, vice-president, and president-elect of the association. At the meeting, Conery was also presented with the association’s Domestic Violence Award for his judicial work in that field, and has previously received AJA’s Excellence in Judicial Education Award.
The American Judges Association represents judges from all levels of jurisdiction in the United States and Canada. With close to 2,000 members from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Guam, American Samoa and the Virgin Islands, it is the largest judges-only organization in North America. AJA was established in 1959 with the goals of promoting and improving the effective administration of justice, maintaining the status and independence of the judiciary, and providing a forum for the continuing education of its members. With over 50 years of service and commitment to the judiciary, AJA continues to exemplify excellence in judicial education.
Conery will serve as AJA president for one year.
Conery is the son of the late Mag delaLoire Conery and Emmet Conery of St. Martinville. He graduated from Catholic High School in New Iberia where he was a member of the 1962 Class A State Championship football team. He obtained a B.A. in English from USL, where he was a member of the football squad for three years, before graduating cum laude from Loyola Law School in New Orleans in 1970. He was a member of the Loyola Law Review and was chosen as the outstanding student in the College of Law. Upon graduation from law school, Conery practiced law for twenty-four years from his office in Franklin, before his election in 1994 as a District Judge in the 16th Judicial District. He served as president of the Louisiana District Judges Association and is a founding member and first president of The Inn on The Teche, a local chapter of the American Inns of Court, and continues to serve as administrator. Conery was elected without opposition to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal in 2013, where he continues to serve.
Conery is married to Brooksie Breaux Conery and he and his wife now reside in New Iberia, where his judicial office is located. He has three children, John, Jr., Christie and Kelly, and two stepchildren, Brent and Dawn. Together, the couple has 10 grandchildren.
“I am humbled and honored to be selected to serve as AJA President,” Conery said. “And hope to live up to our organization’s motto of ‘Making Better Judges’ by continuing our excellent judicial education programs and networking initiatives.”