--- title: "William Jerrol Crain | KnowJudges" canonical: "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-jerrol-crain" page_type: "judge_profile" updated: "2026-10-07" --- # William Jerrol Crain U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana · Judge ## Profile - Court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana - State: Louisiana - Role: Judge - Service status: active - Last verified: 2026-07-25 ## Summary Official statewide and applicable court procedural guidance applies to this judge. ## Biography ### Professional career - William Jerrol “Will” Crain is an American judge serving on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana since December 19, 2025 - court: U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana · role: Judge · start date: 2025-12-19 · notes: Nominated by Donald J. Trump Oct 21, 2025; confirmed Dec 9, 2025; commission Dec 19, 2025; seat vacated by Eldon E. Fallon - court: Supreme Court of Louisiana · role: Associate Justice · start date: 2019-12-11 · end date: 2025-12-19 · notes: Justice, Supreme Court of Louisiana 2019-2025 - court: Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Circuit · role: Judge · start date: 2013 · end date: 2019 · notes: Judge, Louisiana Court of Appeal, First Judicial Circuit 2013-2019; sworn Dec 14, 2012 per - State judicial service: Judge, St. Tammany Parish District Court (2009–2013) Judge, Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal (2013–2019) - court: Louisiana District Court, Twenty-Second Judicial District · role: Judge · start date: 2009 · end date: 2012 · notes: Judge, Louisiana District Court, Twenty-Second Judicial District 2009-2012 - Partner — Jones Fussell LLP · start year: 1990 · end year: 2008 - Associate — Jones Fussell LLP · start year: 1986 · end year: 1989 ### Education - Louisiana State University, Paul M. Hebert Law Center — Law — J.D. (1986) - Louisiana State University — B.A. (1983) ### Additional information - He was part of the 2011 inaugural class of the Louisiana Judicial Leadership Institute and former President of the Board of Governors for the Louisiana Judicial College - Private practice — Covington, Louisiana · start year: 1986 · end year: 2008 - Born 1961 in Bogalusa, Louisiana. - Crain has extensive litigation experience, including complex trial cases, and has held the role of a lecturer on topics such as “Evidence and Persuasion at Trial” and appellate practice. ## Before you appear - Read the judge-specific standing order first when one is listed. - Check the docket and case orders for requirements that supersede broader guidance. - Confirm current remote-access and courtroom technology arrangements before the proceeding. ## Courtroom Rules ### civil remote testimony Scope: courtwide In federal district-court civil proceedings, testimony is ordinarily taken in open court; remote contemporaneous testimony requires good cause in compelling circumstances and appropriate safeguards. Evidence excerpt: For good cause in compelling circumstances and with appropriate safeguards, the court may permit testimony in open court by contemporaneous transmission from a different location. [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ### criminal recording and broadcasting Scope: courtwide Federal district courts may not permit courtroom photography or broadcasting during criminal judicial proceedings unless a statute or another federal rule provides an exception. Evidence excerpt: Except as otherwise provided by a statute or these rules, the court must not permit the taking of photographs in the courtroom during judicial proceedings or the broadcasting of judicial proceedings from the courtroom. [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) Source checked: 2026-07-26 ## Sources - [Official profile](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762094) - [Official roster](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762094) - [Federal Judicial Center biography](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762094) - [Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 43(a), Testimony in Open Court](https://www.uscourts.gov/forms-rules/current-rules-practice-procedure/federal-rules-civil-procedure) - [Federal Rule of Criminal Procedure 53, Courtroom Photographing and Broadcasting Prohibited](https://www.uscourts.gov/court-records/access-court-proceedings/remote-public-access-proceedings/history-cameras-broadcasting-and-remote-public-access-courts) - [Judge William Jerrol Crain](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762094) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-jerrol-crain) - [Supplied Louisiana biography research](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_J._Crain) - [Judge William Jerrol Crain](https://www.fjc.gov/node/13762094) ## JSON-LD ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-jerrol-crain", "url": "https://knowjudges.com/kyj/judge/william-jerrol-crain", "name": "William Jerrol Crain | KnowJudges", "description": "William Jerrol Crain, U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. 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Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-civil-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27. - [Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure, December 1, 2025](https://knowjudges.com/courtroom-rules/national-shared-set-8721a344fececced2257fe1d) — Criminal proceedings in United States District Courts; this conservative mapping does not distribute appellate-specific provisions to appellate judges. Section-specific exceptions, waivers, later amendments and case orders remain applicable. This is a source excerpt, not an exhaustive statement of the rule. [Official source](https://www.uscourts.gov/sites/default/files/document/federal-rules-of-criminal-procedure.pdf). Collected 2026-10-27.