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 "excerpt": "Tucker L. Melancon, born in 1946, is a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Louisiana, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994.",
 "snippet": "Tucker L. Melancon, born in 1946, is a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Louisiana, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994.",
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 "markdown": "# Tucker L. Melancon\n\nTucker L. Melancon (born 1946) is an American jurist serving as a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. He was appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994 and took senior status (semi-retired federal judgeship with reduced caseload) in 2009.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup>\n\n| Fact | Detail |\n|---|---|\n| Court | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> |\n| Appointed by | William J. Clinton<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> |\n| Confirmed | February 10, 1994 (voice vote)<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> |\n| Senior status | February 14, 2009<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> |\n| Born | 1946, Bryan, Texas<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> |\n| Education | B.S., Louisiana State University, 1968; J.D., Tulane University Law School, 1973<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> |\n\n## Early life and education\n\nMelancon was born in 1946 in Bryan, Texas.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> He received a [Bachelor of Science](https://www.edgepedia.org/bachelor-of-science) from [Louisiana State University](https://www.edgepedia.org/louisiana-state-university) in 1968 and a [Juris Doctor](https://www.edgepedia.org/juris-doctor) from Tulane University Law School in 1973.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup>\n\n## Legal career\n\nMelancon was in private practice in Marksville, Louisiana, from 1973 until 1993.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup>\n\n## Federal judicial service\n\nPresident [Bill Clinton](https://www.edgepedia.org/bill-clinton) nominated Melancon to the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on November 18, 1993, to a seat that had opened when Judge Stagg took senior status.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup><sup> • </sup><sup>[2](https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/article-iii-judges)</sup> The Senate confirmed him by voice vote on February 10, 1994, and he received his commission on February 11, 1994.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup> He served as an active judge until assuming senior status on February 14, 2009.<sup>[1](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)</sup>\n\nIn announcing his partial retirement, Melancon said it was not because of his breast cancer, which he had publicly discussed the previous December, but what he described as quality of life issues, living between [Connecticut](https://www.edgepedia.org/connecticut) and Louisiana with his wife, the Connecticut sculptor Diana Moore.<sup>[3](https://www.wafb.com/story/9952043/federal-judge-with-ties-to-multiple-desegregation-cases-enters-partial-retirement/)</sup>\n\n## Notable cases\n\nIn 2001, Melancon approved a consent decree in a long-running desegregation case involving the Evangeline Parish school district in south-central Louisiana.<sup>[4](https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/appeals-court-chastises-judge-in-desegregation-case/2005/06)</sup> In 2003, he handled a plan for reorganizing the 6,300-student district, and a chapter of a group of concerned citizens sought to intervene in the case because it objected to the plan.<sup>[4](https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/appeals-court-chastises-judge-in-desegregation-case/2005/06)</sup> On May 17, 2005, a federal appeals panel upheld the denial of the chapter's motion to intervene in the case, while also criticizing Melancon's case-management style as heavy-handed.<sup>[4](https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/appeals-court-chastises-judge-in-desegregation-case/2005/06)</sup>\n\nAmong his published opinions, the most cited in one database of court records is *Givs v. City of Eunice*.<sup>[5](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/tucker-melancon)</sup>\n\n## References\n\n1. [Biographical Directory of Article III Federal Judges: Tucker L. Melancon](https://www.fjc.gov/node/1384986)\n2. [Article III Judges, U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana](https://www.lawd.uscourts.gov/article-iii-judges)\n3. [Federal Judge With Ties to Multiple Desegregation Cases Enters Partial Retirement](https://www.wafb.com/story/9952043/federal-judge-with-ties-to-multiple-desegregation-cases-enters-partial-retirement/)\n4. [Appeals Court Chastises Judge in Desegregation Case](https://www.edweek.org/policy-politics/appeals-court-chastises-judge-in-desegregation-case/2005/06)\n5. [Tucker L. Melancon: Judge, Western District of Louisiana](https://judicialfinder.com/judges/tucker-melancon)\n\n---\n*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › United States judges › US federal judges › Article III judges (district and appellate) › United States district court judges › Surnames Mc to My*\n\n*Initially written Sep 27, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 28, 2026; Sep 29, 2026 · Edited: Sep 28, 2026 · Last review: Sep 29, 2026*\n\n*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*\n\nLicense: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license\n",
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 "speakable": "Tucker L. Melancon, born in 1946, is a senior United States district judge for the Western District of Louisiana, appointed by President Bill Clinton in 1994."
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