Northwestern State University President James Genovese is a native of Opelousas who previously served as an associate justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was named NSU’s 21st president on July 18, 2024.
Genovese graduated from the Academy of the Immaculate Conception in Opelousas in 1967 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Northwestern State University in 1971. He received a juris doctorate from Loyola University in New Orleans in 1974 with honors in property law.
Genovese practiced law in Acadiana from 1974-1995 and was past president, vice president and secretary-treasurer of the St. Landry Parish Bar Association. He is a member of the Louisiana Bar Association, Colorado Bar Association and American Bar Association. He is admitted to the bar in all state and federal courts in Louisiana, including the United States Supreme Court.
Genovese’s judicial career began as a judge ad hoc of the Opelousas City Court from 1975-1989. He was elected district judge of the 27th Judicial District Court for St. Landry Parish in 1995 and served as district judge through 2004, whereupon he was elected to the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal. He served on the appellate court from 2005-2016. He was elected Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, commencing January 1, 2017.
Genovese has been a panelist, speaker and lecturer at conferences and continuing education seminars on topics such as professionalism, ethics, summary judgment, writs, appeals, practices and procedures of the Louisiana Third Circuit Court of Appeal.
He served on the Louisiana Supreme Court’s Judicial Council Appellate Court Work Point Values Working Group and the Trial Court Committee to Review the Need for Judgeships and as chairman of its Long-Term Subcommittee. He was the Supreme
Court’s appointee to the Juvenile Justice Reform Act Implementation Commission. He is a board member of the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society. As an undergraduate at NSU, Genovese was a four-year letterman in tennis at No. 1 Singles and Doubles. He was named to Who’s Who Among Universities and Colleges, Who’s Who Among Greek Fraternities and Sororities of America and Outstanding College Athletes of America. He was also president of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and involved with Interfraternity Council, Student Government Association and intramurals. Genovese was inducted into the Long Purple Line, NSU’s alumni hall of distinction, in 2018. Genovese is married to Martha Anne Janes, who also attended Northwestern State, and is the father of four daughters, Celeste, Stephanie, Adrienne and Sarah, and a stepdaughter, Elizabeth. He is the grandfather of four.