[StBernard] Manuel "Manny" Fernandez, recently retired St. Bernard judge, dies at age 71

[Westley Annis]

Manuel "Manny" Fernandez, recently retired St. Bernard judge, dies at age 71
Print Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune By Benjamin
Alexander-Bloch, NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune 
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on February 08, 2014 at 10:45 AM, updated February 08, 2014 at 11:07 AM

Manuel "Manny" Fernandez, who recently retired after holding the Division B
seat on the state 34th Judicial District Court for 12 years, died early
Saturday morning (Feb. 8) at St. Bernard Parish Hospital. He was 71.

A few days after his retirement in June, Mr. Fernandez, a former state
representative, said that he was ready to spend more time with his
grandchildren and to fish.

"It was just time for me to move on," Mr. Fernandez said on June 3, after
spending his last day as a sitting judge on May 31. "One of the things that
I think is most important is knowing when it is time to move on, when it is
time to say goodbye."

Mr. Fernandez's six-year-term would have expired in December 2014.

On Saturday, family friend and 4th Circuit Court of Appeal Judge Daniel
Dysart said that Mr. Fernandez checked into St. Bernard Hospital on Thursday
(Feb. 6).

"It was a brief and unexpected illness," Dysart said.

In May 2001, Mr. Fernandez beat Sharon Williams by only 158 votes in a
runoff to finish out the year left in Judge David Gorbaty's term after he
was elevated to an appeals court position. At that time, the judgeship race
was called the closest in St. Bernard history.

But about 16 months later in October 2002, when Mr. Fernandez ran for the
full six-year judicial post, he easily won the seat, receiving more than
5,000 votes over his closest rival.

Mr. Fernandez officially was sworn in as judge on June 1, 2001, and he
officially retired on June 1, 2013, giving himself 12 years in office to the
day, he noted at that time.

During his lifetime, Mr. Fernandez served in all three branches of state
government: legislative, executive and judicial. He served as 104th District
state representative from 1976 to 1988 and also was an assistant chief of
staff to former Gov. Buddy Roemer.

Last summer, Mr. Fernandez said that as a legislator he was most proud of
helping to rewrite the law so that wives had equal management rights of
community property. He said that he also helped develop the current joint
custody rights of children. When he took office the preference always was
given to the mother, instead of being decided based on the best interest of
the child.

Dysart said on Saturday morning that the Fernandez family still was working
on the funeral arrangements, through the St. Bernard Memorial Gardens
funeral home.