William J. Crain

William J. Crain
Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Assumed office
December 11, 2019
Preceded byGreg G. Guidry
Personal details
Born1961 or 1962 (age 61–62)[1]
Political partyRepublican[1]
EducationLouisiana State University (BA, JD)

William J. Crain (born 1961 or 1962) is an American lawyer who has served an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court since 2019.

Education[edit]

Crain is a 1979 graduate of Bogalusa High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science from Louisiana State University in 1983. He received his Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1986.[2][3]

Career[edit]

Crain served for 22 years as a partner and lawyer at the Jones Fussell Law Firm in Covington, where he litigated cases in both state and federal courts.[2][1]

State judicial service[edit]

He was a Judge of the Twenty-Second Judicial District Court from 2009 to 2013. From 2013 to 2019, he was a Judge of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal.[2] He was sworn in as an appellate judge on December 14, 2012.[4]

Louisiana Supreme Court service[edit]

On June 26, 2019, Crain announced his intention to run for a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court vacated by Greg G. Guidry.[1] Crain headed to a runoff against Hans Liljeberg on November 16, 2019.[5][6] On November 16, 2019, he went on to win the election, 57% to 42%.[7][8] Crain was sworn in on December 11, 2019, by his father Judge Hillary Crain.[9]

Memberships and affiliations[edit]

Crain is a member of the 2011 inaugural class of the Louisiana Judicial Leadership Institute.[10]

Personal life[edit]

He has been married to his wife, Cheri Hackett Crain for 35 years. They have four children: William, Michael, Matthew, and Elizabeth. He is a parishioner at St. Timothy United Methodist Church.[2]

Electoral history[edit]

Associate Justice—Supreme Court, 1st Supreme Court District (October 12, 2019)[11]
Year Republican Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2019 Will Crain 73,534 38.61% Richard Ducote 21,810 11.45% Hans Liljeberg 61,859 32.48% Scott Schlegel 33,242 17.45%
Associate Justice—Supreme Court, 1st Supreme Court District (November 11, 2019)[12]
Year Republican Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2019 Will Crain 127,211 57.28% Hans Liljeberg 94,875 42.72%

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d Wagner, Rose (June 26, 2019). "Appellate Judge Will Crain announces run for vacated seat on Louisiana Supreme Court". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d "ABOUT JUDGE CRAIN – Judge Will Crain". Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Hon. William J. Crain Judge Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  4. ^ Nolan, Heather (December 14, 2012). "Judge William Crain to be sworn in as appellate court judge Friday". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  5. ^ Kidd, Karen (October 15, 2019). "Crain, Liljeberg head to November runoff for vacant Louisiana Supreme Court District 1 seat". Louisiana Record. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  6. ^ Varney, James (November 14, 2019). "Louisiana voters to pick next state Supreme Court judge". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Live Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Simerman, John (November 16, 2019). "Will Crain defeats Hans Liljeberg in runoff for Louisiana Supreme Court seat". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  9. ^ "Crain Becomes 1st Supreme Court Justice From Washington Parish". www.era-leader.com. December 13, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "Biography- Judge William J. Crain" (PDF). August 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.

External links[edit]

Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
2019–present
Incumbent