William J. Crain

Will Crain
Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
Incumbent
Assumed office
TBD
Appointed byDonald Trump
Preceded byEldon E. Fallon
Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court
Incumbent
Assumed office
December 11, 2019
Preceded byGreg G. Guidry
Personal details
BornWilliam Jerrol Crain
1961 (age 63–64)
Bogalusa, Louisiana, U.S.
PartyRepublican
SpouseCheri Hackett
Children4
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.[2] He is a nominee to serve as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.

Education

Crain was born in 1961, in Bogalusa, Louisiana.[3][4] 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.[5][6]

Career

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.[5][2]

State judicial service

He was a Judge of the Saint Tammany Parish District Court from 2009 to 2013. From 2013 to 2019, he was a Judge of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal.[5] He was sworn in as an appellate judge on December 14, 2012.[7]

Louisiana Supreme Court service

On June 26, 2019, Crain announced his intention to run for a seat on the Louisiana Supreme Court vacated by Greg G. Guidry.[2] Crain headed to a runoff against Hans Liljeberg on November 16, 2019.[8][9] On November 16, 2019, he went on to win the election, 57% to 43%.[10][11] Crain was sworn in on December 11, 2019, by his father Judge Hillary Crain.[12]

United States district court nomination

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.[13][14] On October 21, 2025, Trump formally nominated Crain to the seat vacated by Eldon E. Fallon.[15] On October 22, 2025, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on his nomination.[16] On November 20, 2025, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee reported his nomination by a 12-10 vote.[17] On December 9, 2025, the Senate invoked cloture on his nomination by a 51-46 vote.[18] Later that day, his nomination was confirmed by a 49-46 vote.[19] He is awaiting his judicial commission.

Memberships and affiliations

Crain is a member of the 2011 inaugural class of the Louisiana Judicial Leadership Institute.[20]

Personal life

He has been married to his wife, Cheri Hackett Crain for 35 years. They have four children.[21] He is a parishioner at St. Timothy United Methodist Church.[5]

Electoral history

Associate Justice—Supreme Court, 1st Supreme Court District (October 12, 2019)[22]
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)[23]
Year Republican Votes Pct Republican Votes Pct
2019 Will Crain 127,211 57.28% Hans Liljeberg 94,875 42.72%

References

  1. ^ "William "Will" Jerrol Crain".
  2. ^ a b c Wagner, Rose (June 26, 2019). "Appellate Judge Will Crain announces run for vacated seat on Louisiana Supreme Court". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  3. ^ "Louisiana Supreme Court Justice William J. Crain Named Crimefighters, Inc. Judge of the Year". August 4, 2023.
  4. ^ 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.
  5. ^ a b c d "ABOUT JUDGE CRAIN – Judge Will Crain". Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  6. ^ "Hon. William J. Crain Judge Profile on Martindale.com". www.martindale.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  7. ^ Nolan, Heather (December 14, 2012). "Judge William Crain to be sworn in as appellate court judge Friday". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Varney, James (November 14, 2019). "Louisiana voters to pick next state Supreme Court judge". The Washington Times. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  10. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Live Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  11. ^ Simerman, John (November 16, 2019). "Will Crain defeats Hans Liljeberg in runoff for Louisiana Supreme Court seat". NOLA.com. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  12. ^ "Crain Becomes 1st Supreme Court Justice From Washington Parish". www.era-leader.com. December 13, 2019. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  13. ^ "Truth Social". Truth Social.
  14. ^ Bridges, Tyler (October 20, 2025). "President Trump nominates Louisiana Supreme Court justice Will Crain for federal bench". NOLA.com.
  15. ^ "PN615-1 - Nomination of William J. Crain for The Judiciary, 119th Congress (2025-2026)". www.congress.gov. October 21, 2025.
  16. ^ "Nominations | United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary".
  17. ^ "Results of Committee Executive Business Meeting" (PDF). November 29, 2025.
  18. ^ "On the Cloture Motion (Motion to Invoke Cloture: William J. Crain to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana)". www.senate.gov. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  19. ^ "On the Nomination (Confirmation: William J. Crain, of Louisiana, to be U.S. District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana)". www.senate.gov. December 9, 2025. Retrieved December 17, 2025.
  20. ^ "Biography- Judge William J. Crain" (PDF). August 20, 2018. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  21. ^ "Judge William J. Crain". Trellis.
  22. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
  23. ^ "Louisiana Secretary of State - Election Results". voterportal.sos.la.gov. Retrieved January 20, 2020.
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