Kenn Barnes, Jr.
Kenn serves as Special Counsel- Criminal Justice to the Louisiana Supreme Court. Mr. Barnes's duties include assisting with the Court’s pretrial services, specialty court programs across Louisiana, serving as liaison between the Louisiana Supreme Court and the Felony Class System Task Force, Louisiana Public Defender Board, Louisiana State Law Institute, and has recently been appointed by Governor John Bel Edwards to the Justice Reinvestment Oversight Committee on behalf of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Prior to joining the Louisiana Supreme Court, Mr. Barnes served as a Bond Advocate and Staff Attorney at the Orleans Public Defenders office and before that served as the Campaign Manager to the now Mayor of Baton Rouge Mayor Sharon Weston Broome.
Kenn received his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Louisiana State University in 2011 and received both his Juris Doctorate and Diploma of Comparative Law from the Paul M. Hebert Law Center at Louisiana State University where he served as Executive President of the Student Bar Association in 2015.
In addition to his work at the Louisiana Supreme Court, Kenn is an initiate and member of the Nu Psi Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha, Fraternity Inc., the American Bar Association, as well as Scholarship Gala co-chair and member of the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Society, Kenn also serves his community as a member of the Louisiana New Leader’s Council Advisory Board, and a board member of the New Orleans Abeona House Child Discovery Center.