Councilmember James Carter District C Records

Collection

Identifier: CA-AB-Carter.J

Staff Only

Councilmember James Carter

Scope and Contents

The records in this collection have generally been kept in the order that they were received by the City Archives. Records are divided into five series: Criminal Justice, Recovery, Subject Files, Housing, and Housing Authority of New Orleans (HANO). The majority of records in this collection concern City Council recovery efforts following Hurricane Katrina and Carter’s work with criminal justice reform. Of particular interest are records pertaining to the demolition of the “Big Four” public housing developments—C.J. Peete, Lafitte, St. Bernard, and B.W. Cooper. Records include correspondence, agendas, working papers, and meeting notes from the office of James Carter. Some materials have been cataloged in other department collections and are available to researchers upon request. A list of those additional materials is attached to this inventory.

Dates

Creation: 2006-2010

Creator

Carter, James (Person)
City Council District C (New Orleans (La.)) (Organization)
New Orleans (La.) City Council (Organization)

Conditions Governing Access

Available to registered researchers by appointment. Request by box and folder number.

Requesting Materials

Materials Request Guidelines

Conditions Governing Use

Reproduction or use of materials is prohibited without the permission of the City Archives & Special Collections. Please review the Archives' Permission to Publish note.

Biographical / Historical

James Carter was the first New Orleans City Council member elected following Hurricane Katrina. He served as the District “C” representative from 2006-2010, a district that includes the historic neighborhoods of the French Quarter, Treme, Marigny, Bywater, and Algiers. Carter served as the chair of the Criminal Justice Committee and assisted in the development of the division of the Independent Police Monitor to promote police oversight. In 2009, Carter was awarded the VERA Institute Justice Award for his efforts in criminal justice reform. Following his term with the City Council, Carter served as the New Orleans Criminal Justice Commissioner from 2011-2012.

Carter attended McDonough 35 High School in New Orleans and studied theater at the New Orleans Center for Creative Arts (NOCCA). He received a law degree from Howard University in 1997 and returned to New Orleans to practice law. He was appointed director for the New Orleans Weed and Seed Initiative, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Justice and served as a public defender. Carter has served as an adjunct professor at Howard University School of Law and Tulane University School of Law and is a founding partner of the law firm Carter and McKee, LLC where he currently practices civil law.