Louisiana Supreme Court justice vacancy (December 2025)
| Louisiana Supreme Court |
|---|
 |
| Crain vacancy |
| Date: December 19, 2025 |
| Status: Seat vacant |
| Nomination |
| Nominee: To be determined |
| Date: To be determined |
Louisiana Supreme Court Justice William J. Crain was elevated to a federal court on December 19, 2025. President Donald Trump (R) nominated Crain to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana on October 21, 2025. Upon receiving commission to his position on the federal judiciary, he resigned from the Louisiana Supreme Court. Crain's replacement will be chosen in a partisan election, that is scheduled for November 3, 2026.
In Louisiana, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
Per Article V of the Louisiana Constitution, midterm vacancies are to be temporarily filled by the remaining members of the supreme court. Within one year of the opening, a special election (called by the governor, preferably on the date of a preexisting gubernatorial or congressional election) is to be held. If the supreme court has appointed a successor, that appointee may not run for the seat in the special election.[1][2] The justice elected at the special election will serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[3][4]
Ballotpedia has compiled the following resources on the process to fill the Louisiana Supreme Court vacancy:
- An overview of the selection process.
- An overview of the court following the vacancy.
- An overview of the justice who left office.
- A list of other state supreme court appointments in 2025.
Election
- See also: Louisiana Supreme Court elections, 2026
Beginning in the 2026 elections, Louisiana elections for U.S. Congress, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education use a closed partisan primary and primary runoff system. Candidates for those offices no longer run in majority-vote system primaries.
There are no official candidates yet for this election.
Interim appointment
On December 23, 2025, the remaining members of the Louisiana Supreme Court appointed Allison H. Penzato as acting associate justice to temporarily fill the position vacated by former Justice Crain. At the time of appointment, Penzato was an appellate court judge for the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal. She will serve as acting associate justice until a replacement is elected in November 2025. She will also continue to serve in her role as an appellate court judge.[5]
Per Article V of the Louisiana Constitution, midterm vacancies are to be temporarily filled by the remaining members of the supreme court. Within one year of the opening, a special election (called by the governor, preferably on the date of a preexisting gubernatorial or congressional election) is to be held. If the supreme court has appointed a successor, that appointee may not run for the seat in the special election.[1][2] The justice elected at the special election will serve the remainder of the unexpired term.[3][4]
The selection process
- See also: Judicial selection in Louisiana
In Louisiana, state supreme court justices are elected in partisan elections. There are eight states that use this selection method. To read more about the partisan election of judges, click here.
Makeup of the court
- See also: Louisiana Supreme Court
Justices
Following Crain's elevation, the Louisiana Supreme Court included the following members:
| ■ John Guidry | Elected in 2024 | |
| ■ Cade Cole | Elected in 2025 | |
| ■ Jay B. McCallum | Elected in 2020 | |
| ■ Jefferson Hughes | Elected in 2012 | |
| ■ John L. Weimer | Elected in 2001 | |
| ■ Piper Griffin | Elected in 2020 |
About the court
Founded in 1813, the Louisiana Supreme Court is the state's court of last resort and has seven judgeships. The current chief of the court is John L. Weimer.
As of December 2025, there were four Republican, two Democratic, and one Independent judges on the court.
The Louisiana Supreme Court meets in New Orleans, Louisiana.[6]
About Justice Crain
- See also: William J. Crain
Early life and education
Crain was born in 1961 in Bogalusa, Louisiana. He earned his bachelor's degree in accounting from Louisiana State University in 1983 and his law degree from the Louisiana State University Law Center in 1986.[7][8]
Professional career
- 2025-present: Judge, United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana
- 2019-2025: Justice, Supreme Court of Louisiana
- 2013-2019: Judge, Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal
- 2009-2012: Judge, Louisiana District Court, Twenty-Second Judicial District
- 1986-2008: Private practice, Covington, Louisiana[7][9]
Other state supreme court appointments in 2025
- See also: State supreme court vacancies, 2025
The following table lists vacancies on state supreme courts that opened in 2025. Click the link under the Court column for a particular vacancy for more information on that vacancy.
Click here for vacancies that opened in 2024.
| 2025 State Supreme Court Vacancies |
|---|
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedLAselection - ↑ 2.0 2.1 Louisiana Supreme Court, "Henry Julien v. The Honorable W. Fox McKeithan," accessed May 6, 2014
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Louisiana Revised Statutes "RS 13:101.1," accessed July 13, 2016
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Leagle, "Marcelle v. DeCuir," September 21, 1995
- ↑ WAFB, "First Circuit Court of Appeal judge appointed to La. Supreme Court position," December 23, 2025
- ↑ Louisiana Supreme Court, "Home," accessed September 17, 2021
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 Cite error: Invalid
<ref>tag; no text was provided for refs namedFJC - ↑ Louisiana Supreme Court, "ASSOCIATE JUSTICE WILLIAM J. CRAIN," accessed August 3, 2021
- ↑ Nola.com, "Judge William J. Crain running for 1st Circuit Court of Appeal," June 30, 2012
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Federal courts:
Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals • U.S. District Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana • U.S. Bankruptcy Court: Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, Western District of Louisiana
State courts:
Louisiana Supreme Court • Louisiana Courts of Appeal • Louisiana District Courts • Louisiana City Courts • Louisiana Family Courts • Louisiana Justice of the Peace Courts • Louisiana Juvenile Courts • Louisiana Mayor’s Courts • Louisiana Municipal Courts • Louisiana Parish Courts • Louisiana Traffic Courts
State resources:
Courts in Louisiana • Louisiana judicial elections • Judicial selection in Louisiana
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