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William J. Crain

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William Crain
Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 11, 2019
Preceded byGreg G. Guidry
Personal details
BornWilliam Jerrol Crain[1]
1961 (age 63–64)
Bogalusa, Louisiana[2]
Political partyRepublican[3]
SpouseCheri Hackett
Children4[4]
EducationLouisiana State University (BA, JD)

William Jerrol "Will" Crain[1] (born 1961) is an American lawyer who has served an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court since 2019.[3] He is currently a nominee for United States district judge for the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Education

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Crain was born in 1961, in Bogalusa, Louisiana.[5] He is a 1979 graduate of Bogalusa High School. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in 1983. He received his Juris Doctor from Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1986.[6][7]

Career

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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.[6][3]

State judicial service

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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.[6] He was sworn in as an appellate judge on December 14, 2012.[8]

Louisiana Supreme Court service

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On June 26, 2019, Crain announced his intention to run for a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court vacated by Greg G. Guidry.[3] Crain headed to a runoff against Hans Liljeberg on November 16, 2019.[9][10] On November 16, 2019, he went on to win the election, 57% to 42%.[11][12] Crain was sworn in on December 11, 2019, by his father Judge Hillary Crain.[13]

United States district court nomination

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On October 20, 2025, President Donald Trump announced his intention to nominate Crain to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, to an unspecified seat.[14][15] On October 21, 2025, Trump formally nominated Crain to the seat vacated by Eldon E. Fallon.[16]

Memberships and affiliations

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Crain is a member of the 2011 inaugural class of the Louisiana Judicial Leadership Institute.[17]

Personal life

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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.[6]

Electoral history

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Associate Justice—Supreme Court, 1st Supreme Court District (October 12, 2019)[18]
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)[19]
Year Republican Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2019 Will Crain 127,211 57.28% Hans Liljeberg 94,875 42.72%

References

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  1. ^ a b "William "Will" Jerrol Crain".
  2. ^ Reports, Staff (August 4, 2023). "Louisiana Supreme Court Justice William J. Crain Named Crimefighters, Inc. Judge of the Year".
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "Judge William J. Crain". Trellis.
  5. ^ Crain, William Jerrol (October 22, 2025). "Crain's Senate Judiciary Committee Questionnaire" (PDF). www.judiciary.senate.gov. United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary. Retrieved October 22, 2025.
  6. ^ a b c d "ABOUT JUDGE CRAIN – Judge Will Crain". Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  7. ^ "Hon. William J. Crain Judge Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  8. ^ Nolan, Heather (December 14, 2012). "Judge William Crain to be sworn in as appellate court judge Friday". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  9. ^ 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.
  10. ^ Varney, James (November 14, 2019). "Louisiana voters to pick next state Supreme Court judge". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  11. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Live Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  12. ^ Simerman, John (November 16, 2019). "Will Crain defeats Hans Liljeberg in runoff for Louisiana Supreme Court seat". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Crain Becomes 1st Supreme Court Justice From Washington Parish". www.era-leader.com. December 13, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  14. ^ "Truth Social". Truth Social.
  15. ^ Bridges, Tyler (October 20, 2025). "President Trump nominates Louisiana Supreme Court justice Will Crain for federal bench". NOLA.com.
  16. ^ "PN615-1 - Nomination of William J. Crain for The Judiciary, 119th Congress (2025-2026)". www.congress.gov. October 21, 2025.
  17. ^ "Biography- Judge William J. Crain" (PDF). August 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  18. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  19. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
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Legal offices
Preceded by Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
2019–present 		Incumbent
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=William_J._Crain&oldid=1318799392"