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Recognizing the Honorable Louis J. Presenza, President Judge Emeritus, on the occasion of his retirement following twenty-seven years of great intellect, compassion, and devotion to our justice system.
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WHEREAS, The Honorable Louis J. Presenza is a graduate of St. Joseph’s University and Villanova University School of Law. He was first elected Judge of Philadelphia Municipal Court in 1982 and subsequently retained to the bench in 1989, 1995, 2001 and 2007. In 1996, he was appointed the first Supervising Judge of the Court’s Criminal Division where he instituted the first Treatment Court in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. In January 1999, he was elected President Judge of Philadelphia Municipal Court by his peers, and re-elected to a second five-year term in January 2004; and
WHEREAS, During Judge Presenza’s twenty-seven years on the bench, he has chaired or co-chaired a variety of panels and commissions addressing such diverse issues as preliminary arraignment, statewide automation, the destruction of firearms, pretrial release guidelines, video-conferencing, prison population management, and alternatives to incarceration. He currently serves on the City’s Criminal Justice Coordinating Committee, the Mayor’s Task Force to End Homelessness, the Pennsylvania Adult Drug Court Advisory Committee, and the Statewide Mental Health Initiatives Task Force. Judge Presenza also serves on the Board of Directors of the National Conference of Metropolitan Courts and is Board Member Emeritus of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals (NADCP); and
WHEREAS, Judge Presenza has been a panel discussant on Driving Under the Influence, Violation of the Uniform Firearms Act, and Domestic Violence. He has lectured at Continuing Legal Education seminars on Municipal Court practices and procedures, spoken at symposiums sponsored by the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department and the Office of National Drug Control Policy on methods for expeditious drug case disposition and the planning, implementation, and operation of drug courts. He has also addressed the National Association of Pretrial Agencies, the Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Court Management, the Pennsylvania Association on Probation, Parole and Corrections, the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency, the Pennsylvania Association of Court Management, and the Philadelphia Bar Association Drug Treatment Courts; and
WHEREAS, Judge Presenza served as a Peer Reviewer for the Office of Justice Programs, the United States Department of Justice and Caliber Associations, and as a faculty member for the Justice Management Institute and has provided technical assistance for the American University Clearinghouse and Technical Assistance Project. He is a faculty member for the United States Department of Justice and the National Drug Court Institute for workshops and training programs for drug court professionals. Judge Presenza is past Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and founding member of the Pennsylvania Association of Drug Court Professionals, where he served consecutive two-year terms as its inaugural President; and
WHEREAS, Judge Presenza received awards from the Philadelphia Coalition for Victim Advocacy, the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, the Justinian Society, the Lawyers’ Club of Philadelphia and the Caron Foundation. He was inducted into the NADCP’S Stanley M. Goldstein Drug Court Hall of Fame in recognition of his leadership, service, and preeminent contributions to the drug court field and was awarded the Justice William J. Brennan, Jr. Distinguished Jurist Award by the Philadelphia Bar Association. Lawdragon Magazine named him one of “500 Leading Judges in America.”; now therefore
RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That we hereby honor and commend The Honorable Louis J. Presenza on his stellar leadership as President Judge of Philadelphia Municipal Court and on his twenty-seven years of inspiring contributions as a distinguished and caring jurist in our justice system. We wish him and his loving family the best of health and happiness.
FURTHER RESOLVED, That an Engrossed copy of this resolution be presented to The Honorable Louis J. Presenza as evidence of the sincere sentiments and deep respect of this legislative body.
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