The Hon. Dawn Amacker is a judge for the 22nd Judicial District Court of Louisiana. She was elected to the bench on October 4, 2008, and re-elected in 2014 and 2020.
The 22nd Judicial District encompasses Washington Parish and St. Tammany Parish. Amacker played an instrumental role in the establishment of the 22nd Judicial District’s Family Court. She has also presided over the Juvenile Court, the Juvenile Drug Court, and the Traffic Court.
Prior to her election, Amacker was a partner at Collett & Amacker, where she maintained a general trial practice with a specialization in family law. She supplemented her practice with service as a judge pro tempore with the Bogalusa City Court.
Amacker earned a bachelor’s degree in history and government from Southeastern Louisiana College in 1978. She then completed a J.D. at Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center, in 1982. She is licensed to practice in Louisiana (1982), and she is a Louisiana Board Certified Family Law Specialist (1995).
After graduating from law school, Amacker began her legal career as a judicial law clerk to the Hon. Hillary J. Crain of the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal. She was subsequently hired as an assistant district attorney, holding assignments with the 22nd Judicial District Attorney’s Office in St. Tammany Parish.
Her memberships have included the Washington Parish Bar Association and the Greater Covington Bar Association. She has also been involved with the Judges Imparting Knowledge, Education & Skills Task Force.
Amacker was born in Victoria, Texas, where her father was stationed with the United States Air Force. At the conclusion of his service, the family relocated to Washington Parish, Louisiana, where Amacker attended Bogalusa High School. Amacker and her husband, Edward, have one daughter. Edward is a senior partner at Talley, Anthony, Hughes & Knight.