Carl Joseph Barbier | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Senior Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | |
| Assumed office January 1, 2023 | |
| Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | |
| In office October 1, 1998 – January 1, 2023 | |
| Appointed by | Bill Clinton |
| Preceded by | Okla Jones II |
| Succeeded by | Darrel J. Papillion |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Carl Joseph Barbier (1944-08-21)August 21, 1944 (age 80)[1] New Orleans, Louisiana |
| Education | Southeastern Louisiana University (BA) Loyola University New Orleans (JD) |
Carl Joseph Barbier (born August 21, 1944) is aseniorUnited States district judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
Born in 1944 inNew Orleans,Louisiana,[2] Barbier attendedWest Jefferson High School before receiving aBachelor of Arts degree fromSoutheastern Louisiana University in 1966 and aJuris Doctor fromLoyola University New Orleans School of Law in 1970. He was alaw clerk to Judge William Redman,Louisiana Court of Appeal, Fourth Circuit from 1969 to 1970, and to JudgeFred James Cassibry of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana from 1970 to 1971. Barbier was in private practice in New Orleans from 1971 to 1998.
On May 19, 1998, Barbier was nominated by PresidentBill Clinton to a seat on theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana vacated byOkla Jones II. Barbier was confirmed by theUnited States Senate on September 28, 1998, and received his commission on October 1, 1998. Barbier assumedsenior status on January 1, 2023.[3]
In August 2010, he was appointed to hear the cases in theDeepwater Horizon oil spill. It is expected that at least 300 cases will be consolidated in his court.[4]
On November 14, 2011, Barbier ruled thatBP, the company that leased the Deepwater Horizon oil rig, must face federal maritime lawsuits by Alabama and Louisiana.[5] On September 4, 2014, he further found BP to be grossly negligent in the spill, attributing 67% of the blame to the company.[6] As a result, the company may be liable for as much as $18 billion in fines under theClean Water Act.
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Judge of theUnited States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana 1998–2023 | Succeeded by |