WBRZ - Baton Rouge

NEW ORLEANS- The state's first black Supreme Court Chief Justice, Bernette Johnson, took her oath of office today in New Orleans.

The public ceremony was held on the steps of the Supreme Court building in the French Quarter.

Johnson succeeded Catherine "Kitty" Kimball, following her retirement.

Johnson assumed the post only after she and her colleagues resolved a dispute last year involving how her years of service should be calculated.