Term Ends: 2026
Party: D
Judge Patricia Koch received her B.A. in History from the University of Louisiana at Monroe in 1985 and her Juris Doctorate from Loyola University School of Law in New Orleans in 1991. She was elected to Division “E” of the Ninth Judicial District Court in October of 2005 and is currently serving as a Civil Court Judge for Rapides Parish in addition to presiding over the Behavioral Health Court and the Adult Drug Court. Her previous experience includes serving as Chief Judge and Criminal Court Judge for the Ninth Judicial District Court which included a specialized domestic violence court and as the Juvenile Court Judge which included a juvenile drug court.
Prior to her election to the District Court bench, she served as the Hearing Officer for the Ninth Judicial District Court, presiding over child support and domestic violence cases. Judge Koch also served as Administrative Law Judge and mediator for the Office of Workers’ Compensation. Judge Koch was the lead over the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur’s Models for Change initiative for Rapides Parish for juvenile justice reform and was named the 2009 Champion for Change in juvenile justice reform for the Louisiana Models for Change initiative.
Judge Koch currently serves on the Board for the Louisiana District Judges Association (LDJA); appointed in 2013 to the Louisiana Children’s Cabinet; served on the Courthouse Security committee for the Louisiana Supreme Court; in an advisory capacity to the National Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges diversity and curriculum committees; since 2003 on the Louisiana Protective Order Task Force as well as the education committee for Domestic Violence; legislative committee for the Louisiana Council of Juvenile and Family Court Judges (LCJFCJ); member of the State and Alexandria Bar Associations; trains on mental health and domestic violence issues for the Alexandria Police Academy and with the Crisis Intervention Team; formerly served on the Access to Justice Committee for the Louisiana State Bar Association, Past President of the Louisiana Judicial College (LJC); Past President of the LCJFCJ, and Past President of the Rapides Parish Area Youth Planning Board. In her community, she is a member of the Horseshoe Drive United Methodist and is in a leadership capacity to increase educational opportunities through the Parent & Teacher Organizations at her sons’ high school.