Retired 14th JDC Judge John A. Patin, 89, died Friday, March 25, 2005. First appointed as judge pro tempore for the 14th JDC in 1977, he was elected to the 14th JDC bench in 1980, where he served until his retirement in 1985. He also sat as judge pro tempore on the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeal in 1992. Prior to his service on the bench, he studied pre-law at Southwest Louisiana Institute, served as secretary to Lt. Governor John B. Fournet, and attended law school at Louisiana State University, graduating with a LLB degree in 1936. He was later granted a juris doctor degree. While at LSU, he served as chief justice on the Honor Court. In 1936, he began the practice of law in Lake Charles. In 1936, he was appointed referee in bankruptcy (now bankruptcy judge) and then appointed Assistant United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana from 1939-1945. He was later appointed to First Assistant at the Western District headquartered in Shreveport. He served as city attorney for the city of DeQuincy and continued in private practice from 1945-1980. He was a member of the American Bar Association, Louisiana State Bar Association and Southwest Louisiana Bar Association as well as a number of civic and service groups.