Editor's note: The date of Clark's death has been corrected. We apologize for the error. BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Marcus Clark, a former Louisiana Supreme Court Justice, died on Wednesday, Sept. 25, in Gainesville, Georgia. According to a news release from the court, Clark was 68. Clark was initially elected to the state court from the Fourth Supreme Court District in 2009 to fill the remainder of former Justice Chet D. Traylor's term. He was elected unopposed to a 10-year term in 2016 and retired in June 2020. “Justice Clark was a friend and mentor. He serves as an exemplar of judicial service because he exemplified the highest ideals of a judge: legal ability and integrity. Although he reached the highest point of judicial service by serving as an Associate Justice on the Louisiana Supreme Court, he always remained humble and approachable. He was always available to give wise counsel whenever his assistance was sought. I am grateful for his friendship and support,”Justice Jay McCallum, who succeeded Justice Clark in 2020 as Associate Justice for the Fourth Supreme Court District, said in the news release. The Sulphur native earned his bachelor of arts in criminal justice from then-Northeastern Louisiana University in 1978. He went on to work in law enforcement before earning his law degree from LSU in 1985. According to the news release, his time as a prosecutor led to him co-authoring Louisiana’s Drug Asset Forfeiture Law and co-developing the National TOP Gun Seminar used by law enforcement across the country. Southern University shares statement on student killed in Baton Rouge wreck He was first elected to the bench in the 4th Judicial District Court, which covers Ouachita and Morehouse parishes. “I am saddened by the passing of Justice Marcus Clark,” said Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice John L. Weimer. “He was a good person and a good judge. He was humble, easily approachable, kind, respectful, and dedicated and diligent. I considered him a friend. For many years we worked together on presenting the Judicial budget to the Legislature. He was an advocate for the judiciary and was well respected and well received by the Legislature. As a Justice he was balanced and fair and impartial. He was dedicated to his family and friends and will be missed by many. May he rest in peace.” His family asks that donations in his memory be made to: "the Justice Marcus R. Clark First Generation Endowed Scholarship at ULM, the Marcus R. Clark Scholarship Fund at Sulphur High School, or the Louisiana Baptist Children’s Home," according to the news release. Latest News How does Baton Rouge road rage, highway shooting crime data compare with Louisiana, US? Baton Rouge General launches new mobile healthcare unit for North Baton Rouge Retired Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Marcus Clark dead at 68 USPS wants to raise stamp prices 5 times over the next 3 years DOC: Elayn Hunt Correctional Center head warden, correctional officer placed on suspension