{"id":6339,"date":"2019-07-18T13:32:30","date_gmt":"2019-07-18T18:32:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/slls.org\/?page_id=6339"},"modified":"2025-08-12T16:18:43","modified_gmt":"2025-08-12T21:18:43","slug":"david-h-williams","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/slls.org\/en\/about-slls\/our-team\/david-h-williams\/","title":{"rendered":"Tracie L. Washington"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Tracie L. Washington<\/h1>\n

Litigation Director<\/em>[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”3_4,1_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”3_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n

Tracie Leigh Washington, Esq., Ph.D., is a visionary civil rights attorney, influential public policy strategist, and passionate advocate whose leadership has been instrumental in advancing social justice, equity, and systemic reform across the nation. A proud daughter of New Orleans, Tracie\u2019s exceptional academic journey encompasses degrees from Carleton College (B.A., Political Science), Drake University (MPA), the University of Texas School of Law (JD), the University of New Orleans (MBA), and Southern University and A&M College (Ph.D., Public Policy)\u2014reflecting her relentless pursuit of knowledge, strategic thought, and public service excellence.<\/p>\n

Over three decades, Tracie has built a robust and nationally celebrated general civil practice, focusing on civil rights, education law (traditional & charter K\u201312, and HigherEd), and labor and employment law. Following the devastating impact of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, Tracie\u2019s advocacy expanded significantly as she took on monumental legal battles with the Louisiana Justice Institute (LJI), a nonprofit human rights organization and law firm dedicated to protecting the rights of marginalized communities.<\/p>\n

Among her most significant litigation achievements, Tracie successfully served as counsel in landmark cases impacting thousands of New Orleanians. Her groundbreaking efforts include Kirk v. City of New Orleans and Mayor Ray Nagin, a pivotal 14th Amendment constitutional case ensuring homeowners’ rights against unjust demolitions; Lott v. Orleans Parish School Board, safeguarding educational access and enrollment rights for displaced students; and ACORN et al. v. Kathleen Blanco, a historic voting-rights case reaffirming New Orleans evacuees’ rights to equal franchise under the Voting Rights Act and U.S. Constitution. Tracie was also instrumental in leading the landmark class-action suit LeBlanc et al. v. Thomas, compelling the reopening of Charity Hospital, a lifeline for underserved residents in the New Orleans region. Further cementing her place as a fierce advocate for justice, she served as co-counsel in the nationally recognized human trafficking case David et al. v. Signal International, and most recently, alongside the NAACP Legal Defense Fund and the National ACLU, litigated the historic redistricting case NAACP v. Ardoin (Robinson v. Ardoin)\u2014successfully securing a groundbreaking injunction and victory in the U.S. Supreme Court, creating two majority-Black congressional districts in Louisiana.<\/p>\n

Tracie\u2019s extraordinary contributions have garnered widespread recognition and honors. Her distinctions include prestigious fellowships at the United States\u2013Southern African Center for Leadership and Public Values at Duke University and Southern University (led by Ambassador James Joseph), the Loyola University Institute of Politics, and the American Arbitration Association\u2019s acclaimed Higginbotham Fellowship. She is also a proud alumna of the Higher Education Leadership Foundation\u2019s Leadership Institute (Gamma Cohort, June 2016). Celebrated for her tireless advocacy, she earned the Carleton College Distinguished Achievement Award at her 30th reunion, was named Trial Lawyer of the Year by the Public Justice Foundation, and received acclaim as one of MSNBC\u2019s TheGrio\u2019s “100 History Makers in the Making” and among “Twenty Leading Black Women Advocating Change” by The Root, edited by esteemed scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. Her dynamic presence and advocacy have been documented prominently, notably in Spike Lee\u2019s acclaimed documentary If God Is Willing and Da Creek Don\u2019t Rise, and through featured appearances on national media including The Rachel Maddow Show (MSNBC) and PBS NewsHour.<\/p>\n

A dedicated servant-leader deeply involved in her local community, Tracie\u2019s civic commitments include membership in the Junior League of New Orleans, serving on the Vestry of Trinity Episcopal Church, and proudly affiliating with the Omicron Nu Zeta Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority. Tracie finds profound joy and grounding as the proud mother of one remarkable son and three beloved grandchildren. An accomplished baker and culinary enthusiast, she passionately believes that all things delightful begin with high-fat butter\u2014a belief exemplified through her specialty-order bakery, NolaGoodies, Inc. Her \u201chappy places\u201d include her recently renovated kitchen, vibrant outdoor grills, beloved smoker and pizza oven, and New Orleans’ renowned live jazz clubs, where she celebrates her beloved city’s culture and spirit.<\/p>\n

[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_button button_url=”https:\/\/slls.org\/en\/about-slls\/our-team\/” button_text=”Back to Our Team” _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_button=”on” button_icon=”4||divi||400″ button_icon_color=”#8DC924″ button_icon_placement=”left” button_on_hover=”off” custom_margin=”30px||||false|false” button_icon_color_last_edited=”off|desktop” global_colors_info=”{}” button_icon_color__hover_enabled=”on|hover” button_icon_color__hover=”#138A43″][\/et_pb_button][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_4″ _builder_version=”4.22.0″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/slls.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/image001.png” alt=”Litigation Director David H. Williams” title_text=”image001″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” hover_enabled=”0″ global_colors_info=”{}” sticky_enabled=”0″]<\/p>\n

Contact<\/strong>
Email: twashington@slls.org<\/a>
Phone: (504) 529-1063<\/a><\/p>\n

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Tracie L. Washington Litigation DirectorTracie Leigh Washington, Esq., Ph.D., is a visionary civil rights attorney, influential public policy strategist, and passionate advocate whose leadership has been instrumental in advancing social […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":12227,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"

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David H. Williams has been Litigation Director for Southeast Louisiana Legal Services since 2006; was in full time private practice litigating primarily for Medicaid applicants and recipients for 10 years; and before that practiced for over ten years with New Orleans Legal Assistance Corporation, doing litigation and other advocacy concerning Medicaid, welfare, food stamps, child care assistance, unemployment compensation, and Social Security problems.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>

He has successfully litigated and settled cases expanding the groups of persons eligible for Medicaid in Louisiana, expanding services covered, and improving agency procedures for dealing with applications and appeals.\u00a0 Examples of issues he has successfully worked on include getting Medicaid to cover daily diabetic testing supplies and syringes, \u201cmedical foods\u201d for children with a life-threatening condition preventing the from eating normal proteins, evidence based therapy for children with autism, and incontinence supplies for recipients under age 21 with spina bifida and similar conditions.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>

Among other accomplishments<\/span>,<\/span> he has also successfully challenged a state law that denied unemployment compensation to applicants who had not filed earlier claims when they were <\/span>ineligible<\/i><\/b>; defended the federal Fair Housing Act\u2019s reasonable accommodation requirement from a constitutional challenge by Jefferson Parish; <\/span>and <\/span>obtained a ruling striking down an interpretation of state law that had limited most two parent families to 6 months of cash assistance per year.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

He received a degree in Public Policy Studies and Economics from Duke University, having focused on issues of ethics and poverty.\u00a0 He obtained his law degree from Harvard Law School.<\/span><\/p>

His work has repeatedly been recognized by his peers. In 1994, he received the Louisiana State Bar Association\u2019s first Career Public Interest Award and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association\u2019s Reginald Heber Smith Award for outstanding work on behalf of low income <\/span>individuals <\/span>in civil cases.\u00a0 <\/span><\/span><\/p>

In 2014, <\/span>he was awarded <\/span>the New Orleans Bar Association\u2019s Mark Moreau Award.\u00a0 In 2016, <\/span>he received <\/span>the Louisiana State Bar Association\u2019s Legal Excellence in Advocacy Award.\u00a0 In 2018, he received the New Orleans Federal Bar <\/span>Association<\/span>\u2019s Camille F. Gravel, Jr. Public Service Award.<\/span><\/span><\/p>

Return to our team page<\/a><\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

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Contact<\/span><\/strong><\/p>

Email: dwilliams@slls.org<\/a><\/span><\/span><\/p>

Phone: (504) 529-1063<\/span><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>