BATON ROUGE — Catherine "Kitty" Kimball became the first woman elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 1992. Seventeen years later, she was named the court's first female Chief Justice. 

But one year later, she faced her toughest case when she suffered a massive stroke and was in a coma for three days. 

The stroke, which damaged her right eye and left side, couldn't keep her down, however. She underwent intensive therapy and continued her court work from her home in Ventress with technology that magnified the many court documents she had to read. 

"I think a lot of people would have thought this was the end, and I would be unable to continue my work," Kimball said. "It has been possible and every single day, I have been grateful."