The traditional opening of court ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 9, welcomed new faces, acknowledged coming changes and recognized those who have contributed to the legal profession in Rapides Parish.

Those who gathered in Courtroom #6 at the Rapides Parish Courthouse in Alexandria also took a moment to remember former Rapides Parish District Attorney James "Jam" Downs, who died Sept. 5 at age 85, as well as others who have died recently.

The ceremony stems from the long ago tradition of closing courts during the summer because of the heat, reopening in the fall. The Alexandria Bar Association now holds the annual event to recognize new attorneys, those who have died and those who have made "significant contributions" to the bar or legal system, reads a news release.

Although Downs and others — Catherine Brame, Blake Tillman and J. Michael Percy — won't officially be eulogized by the bar until next year's ceremony, current District Attorney Phillip Terrell called for a moment of silence for his predecessor before he introduced the event's speaker, Louisiana Supreme Court Associate Justice Jay B. McCallum.

Those eulogized on Wednesday were J. Ogden Middleton and George A. "Bubba" Flournoy.

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After the ceremony, Terrell said Downs was "an icon" and a mentor to him since he was a former district attorney.

"He's a fine gentleman, fun to be around, very dry sense of humor, different than me, obviously," he said. "He was never emotional, he was never impetious. He was always really thoughtful, and he helped slow me down a lot.

"We lost a pillar of our legal community."

Now retired, Rae Swent was a 9th Judicial District Court judge while Downs was district attorney. She remembers him as a kind person.

"I mean, to be in that role, you see both sides of people," she said. "Too many law offices only see their side. Jam saw it all. He was as kind as he could be."

Judge Monique Rauls, the chief judge for the 9th JDC, took a moment during the ceremony to acknowledge fellow Judge Greg Beard, who was elected without opposition to the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal. He'll take his new office on Jan. 1, 2027.

Beard has been a judge in Rapides Parish for 12 years, serving as chief judge for several years. Rauls called him "a hard worker" who could be reached at any time.

"Judge Beard, it has been an honor and a privilege to have served alongside you," she said as Beard sat with other judges in the jury box. "You have made us all better judges. You are just so faithful to the justice system."

She said she was confident he'd be an asset to the appellate court based in Lake Charles. She asked the crowd to stand and applaud him, and Beard stood along with the crowd.

The crowd included the man who will take Beard's seat, Rapides Parish Assistant District Attorney Chris Maxwell. He ran unopposed for the seat and said the fact that he'll be sitting among the judges at next year's ceremony hadn't quite sunk in yet.

"When people call me judge, I'm like, looking around," he laughed.

Maxwell said there's training he'll undergo through the Louisiana Supreme Court. He said been in courtrooms for 24 years, all in Rapides Parish. He said he's comfortable in the courtrooms, but sitting on the bench will be a new perspective.

"I'm nervous, but excited," he said.

Three people were honored with awards, too. Annie Johnson Salazar was presented with the Debbie Smith Award, while Laurel White was honored with the Most Valuable Pro Bono Attorney award.

The association's most prestigious award, the Causidicus Award, was presented to attorney Michael H. Davis, who said it was "the pinnacle of my practice, but it's not the end."

This article originally appeared on Alexandria Town Talk: Ceremony honors, remembers those who contributed to law profession