Piper D. Griffin - Associate Justice - Louisiana Supreme Court

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Piper D. Griffin 
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<div class="col col-md-4"><img class="img-responsive" src="/biography%2FPiper_Griffin.jpg" alt="Associate Justice Piper D. Griffin" />Louisiana Supreme Court<br />Associate Justice Piper D. Griffin </div><div class="col col-lg-8"><h3>ASSOCIATE JUSTICE PIPER D. GRIFFIN</h3><p>A lifelong resident of New Orleans, Justice Griffin graduated from Xavier University Preparatory School (currently St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School), the University of Notre Dame, and Louisiana State University Paul M. Hebert Law Center.&nbsp; </p><p>Justice Griffin began her legal career practicing in the New Orleans area focusing on casualty litigation.&nbsp; In 2001, after 14 years as a practicing attorney, Justice Griffin was elected to the Orleans Parish Civil District Court and served as its Chief Judge from 2008 to 2010.</p><p>In 2020 Justice Griffin was elected to serve as an Associate Justice for District 7 representing portions of both Orleans and Jefferson Parishes, following in the footsteps of Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette J. Johnson and Justice Revius O. Ortique.</p><p>Prior to joining the Court, Justice Griffin was active with both the bench and bar, volunteering with many organizations including Juvenile Court&rsquo;s Teen Court program; the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society, serving as its treasurer and corresponding secretary; the New Orleans Bar Association, where she served as a board member and was elected the first African American Chair of the Young Lawyer&rsquo;s Section. She additionally served as a member of the Louisiana Law &amp; Civil Education Association.</p><p>Justice Griffin considers her appointment as the Constitutional Law Bar Examiner for the Louisiana Bar Exam by the Louisiana Supreme Court to be one her crowning career achievements.&nbsp; </p><p>As a member of the bench, Justice Griffin&rsquo;s volunteerism has not stopped.&nbsp; She is the vice president of the Louisiana Judicial Council Foundation/National Bar Association and secretary of the American Judges Association.&nbsp; She is the immediate past president of the Louisiana Judicial Council/National Bar Association.&nbsp; She has previously served as second vice president of the Louisiana Association of District Court Judges, president of the 4th and 5th Circuit Judges Association.&nbsp; She is a frequent speaker for the Louisiana State Bar Association, the New Orleans Bar Association, the Louisiana Judicial College, and has been featured on many other national and local programs.&nbsp; </p><p>Several years ago, Justice Griffin was appointed and continues to serve as a member of the Louisiana State Law Institute Council.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><p>Justice Griffin lives a life dedicated to service to her community and her profession.&nbsp; As such, she has been and continues to be active in many professional and civic associations and has received numerous awards and certificates in recognition of her accomplishments and her commitment to the community.&nbsp; These include receipt of the American Board of Trial Advocates (ABOTA) 2020 Thomas Jefferson Justice by the People Award; 2019 Sarah J. Harper Humanitarian Award, which is given during the annual Thurgood Marshall luncheon by the National Bar Association Judicial Council; 2019 First District Missionary Society Women&rsquo;s Department Woman of the Year Award; the Greater New Orleans Louis A. Martinet Legal Society&rsquo;s 2018 Lifetime Achievement Award and the 2003 Ernest N. Morial Judicial Pacesetter Award.&nbsp; She was recognized as a YWCA Role Model and also received the 2004 Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority, Inc. Award for Exemplary Community Service; the 2003 Alliance for Good Government Civic Award; as well as the 2002-2003 Data News Weekly Scoop Jones Trailblazer Award.</p><p>Justice Griffin is an active member of her church, Second Baptist 6th District.&nbsp; She is a former foster mother and serves as a mentor and surrogate mother to many.<br /></p><p style="text-align:justify;"><strong>&nbsp;</strong></p></div>
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<div class="col-md-12"><div class="col-md-4"><img alt="Associate Justice Cade R. Cole" class="img-responsive" src="/biography%2FCade_R_Cole.jpg" style="pointer-events:none;" />Louisiana Supreme Court<br />Associate Justice Cade R. Cole </div><div class="col-md-8"><h3>ASSOCIATE JUSTICE CADE R. COLE</h3><p>Justice Cole was elected without opposition to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2025. He represents the Third District covering Western Louisiana. Prior to his election to the Supreme Court, he served as Louisiana&rsquo;s first state and local tax judge. Justice Cole graduated with honors from DeQuincy High School, Tulane University, and the Tulane School of Law. In law school he received the CALI Award for highest performance in Obligations II, Income Taxation, Energy Regulation and Public Utility law.</p><p>After law school, he served as a law clerk to Justice Jeannette T. Knoll at the Louisiana Supreme Court before entering private practice in Lake Charles. His legal practice involved complex business and tax litigation along with work as appellate counsel for a wide variety of cases.</p><p>Justice Cole trained as a mediator at Pepperdine&rsquo;s Straus Institute and successfully mediated over 1,500 cases. He was asked by other state and federal judges to serve as Special Master and to design the program to expedite the handling of over 10,000 Hurricane Laura lawsuits.</p><p><strong><em>Public and Bar Association Service</em></strong></p><p>As Tax Judge, he handled a docket involving billions in disputed taxes while also leading efforts to improve procedural fairness for taxpayers. Those successful efforts were recognized with Louisiana being named the &ldquo;Most Improved State&rdquo; by the Council of State Taxation moving up from last in the nation to being tied for 9th best.</p><p>Justice Cole was previously an assistant district attorney, city attorney for Sulphur and Vinton, and served his hometown, DeQuincy, as city magistrate. He previously served as a member of the Louisiana Service Commission and Louisiana Tax Institute. He is a board-certified tax law specialist and chaired the Board of Legal Specialization's Tax Law Advisory Commission.</p><p>He served the Louisiana State Bar Association as Tax Section Chair, House of Delegates member, and on the CLE programming committee. Justice Cole is a Past President of the Southwest Louisiana Federal Bar Association and a former board member of the Acadiana FBA. He also served on the senatorial vetting committee for Louisiana federal judicial nominees and as chair of the U.S. Magistrate Judge selection committee for the U.S. District Court for Western Louisiana.</p><p><strong><em>Community and Family</em></strong></p><p>Justice Cole was awarded the bar association&rsquo;s Outstanding Service Award in 2013 for work to improve indigent defense funding in Southwest Louisiana. He also organized the Ranch Collective to support McNeese student athletes. Justice Cole is married to Rebekah Cole, a former chemical engineer who is now a PTO leader, member of the Parent Advisory Commission for Calcasieu Parish Schools, and diligent volunteer for countless school and community causes. They have four children and reside in Lake Charles.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-12"><p><br /></p></div>
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<div class="col-md-12"><div class="col col-md-4"><img alt="Associate Justice John Michael Guidry" class="img-responsive" src="/biography/John_Michael_Guidry.jpg" style="pointer-events:none;" />Louisiana Supreme Court <br />Associate Justice John Michael Guidry
</div><div class="col col-md-8"><h3>ASSOCIATE JUSTICE JOHN MICHAEL GUIDRY</h3><p>Justice John Michael Guidry was the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal Chief Judge from 2023 until his election as an Associate Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, 2nd Supreme Court District, effective January 1, 2025. He is the fourth African American Justice elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in its over 212-year history. He earned his bachelor's degree from Louisiana State University in 1983 and received his juris doctor degree, graduating cum laude, from the Southern University Law Center in 1987. Before his judicial career, Justice Guidry served in various roles, including as a legislative assistant and assistant clerk of the Louisiana House of Representatives. He also worked as an assistant parish attorney for the City of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish. Justice Guidry additionally held the position of commissioner on both the Greater Baton Rouge Port Commission and the Greater Baton Rouge Metropolitan Airport Commission. Since 1988, he has been an adjunct professor at the Southern University Law Center and taught at the Southern University Nelson Mandela School of Public Policy. Justice Guidry was elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives in 1991 and subsequently to the Louisiana State Senate in 1993. He was elected as a judge of the First Circuit Court of Appeal in 1997, in 2023 he became the 15th chief judge and the first African American chief judge in the court's 145-year history. He is a member of the Louis A. Martinet Legal Society and the Baton Rouge, Louisiana, National, and American Bar Associations. Justice Guidry holds memberships with the American Judges Association, the Louisiana Conference of Court of Appeal Judges, and the Louisiana Judicial Council of the National Bar Association. He served as the Louisiana Conference of Court of Appeal Judges&rsquo; representative to the Louisiana Judicial Council in 2009 and 2012. He was twice appointed to the governing body of the Louisiana Judicial College. He served as President of the Louisiana Judicial College Board of Governors in 2014. He is a member of the Louisiana Domestic Violence Judicial Curriculum Advisory Committee and a contributor to the Baton Rouge Bar Association Pro Bono Committee. In 2024, he was appointed chair of the Louisiana Supreme Court Technology Commission. Justice Guidry is married to Carol Fowler Guidry, and they are the parents of two children, John Morgan Guidry and Kennedy Michelle Guidry.</p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div>
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<div class="col-md-12"><div class="col col-md-4"><img alt="Associate Justice Jay McCallum" class="img-responsive" src="/biography%2FJay_McCallum.jpg" style="pointer-events:none;" />Louisiana Supreme Court<br />Associate Justice Jay B. McCallum
</div><div class="col col-lg-8"><h3>ASSOCIATE JUSTICE JAY B. McCALLUM</h3>&nbsp;<p>Justice Jay Bowen McCallum, who now lives in Farmerville, is a lifelong resident of Union Parish. Born and raised in the Pisgah Baptist Church community, near Bernice, Louisiana, Jay is the first in his family to receive a college education, having graduated from Northeast Louisiana University in 1982 and LSU&rsquo;s Paul M. Hebert Law Center in 1985. He also holds a Master of Divinity from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary.</p><p>Upon admission to the Bar, he returned home to Union Parish and joined Armand Rabun in the general practice of law. The offices of Rabun and McCallum, located at 205 East Jackson St., Farmerville, were situated between a funeral home and a bank. Thus, it was said, in jest, that they &ldquo;got clients coming and going.&rdquo; Jay&rsquo;s wife, Deanna Dunham McCallum, subsequently joined Jay in his law practice after becoming a lawyer herself.</p><p>Prior to serving as a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for 11 years (1992-2002), Jay also worked as an Assistant District Attorney. He worked as a trial court judge for 15 years (2002-2018) on the bench of the Third Judicial District Court.</p><p>In 2018 Jay was elected without opposition to the Second Circuit Court of Appeal in a district that was comprised of Bienville, Bossier, Claiborne, Caldwell, Jackson, Lincoln, Union, Webster, and Winn Parishes. On November 3, 2020, he was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court for District 4, which is the largest district in terms of geographic size and number of parishes. Jay took office as an Associate Justice on November 13, 2020.</p><p>Judge Jay, as he is known to many of his constituents, is a much sought after motivational and inspirational speaker for various religious, civic, business, and trade groups. He is best known for using humor to instruct, inspire, and motivate his audiences. Jay is frequently found speaking to students in, and out of, the classroom. He has been honored to have been the commencement speaker for numerous high schools and universities, including Louisiana Tech University and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.</p><p>Jay serves on a number of committees including the Louisiana Sheriff's Executive Management Institute, the Louisiana Commission on Law Enforcement and Administration of Criminal Justice, and the Supreme Court of Louisiana Historical Society and was appointed by his fellow justices to serve on the Louisiana State Law Institute.</p><p>He is in demand for continuing legal education presentations on behalf of such groups as the Louisiana State Bar Association and Louisiana Judicial College and has also lectured at various law enforcement academies, including for the Louisiana State Police and Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries. His speaking engagements have carried him to every parish of the state and to multiple states in the Deep South.</p><p>Jay and Deanna are members of the First Baptist Church, Farmerville, Louisiana. In addition to Jay serving as a deacon and teacher, they are both active in the various ministries of the church.</p><p>In 2021, on the occasion of its 50th Anniversary, Cedar Creek School named him as its outstanding Alumnus.</p><p>Jay is the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions for public service. He has served on the Louisiana Sentencing Commission (by gubernatorial appointment) and sundry other commissions and boards. However, he is most proud of being a husband, father and grandfather.</p></div></div><div class="col-md-12">&nbsp;&nbsp;</div>
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<div class="col-md-12"><div class="col col-md-4"><img alt="Associate Justice William J. Crain" class="img-responsive" src="/images/biography/William_J_Crain.jpg" style="pointer-events:none;" />Louisiana Supreme Court<br />Associate Justice William J. Crain</div><div class="col col-md-8 text-justify"><h3>ASSOCIATE JUSTICE WILLIAM J. CRAIN</h3><div><p>Justice Crain was a member of the Louisiana First Circuit Court of Appeal from 2013 until his election to the Louisiana Supreme Court on November 16, 2019.&nbsp; He is formerly a Judge with the Twenty-Second Judicial District Court for St. Tammany and Washington parishes from 2009 to 2013.&nbsp; A 1983 graduate of Louisiana State University with a degree in accounting, Judge Crain graduated from the LSU Law Center in 1986.</p><p>Judge Crain maintained a general litigation law practice for 22 years handling complex judge and jury trial cases.&nbsp; He has been a lecturer at continuing legal education seminars on many topics including &ldquo;Evidence and Persuasion at Trial&rdquo;, &ldquo;Professionalism&rdquo; and writ and appellate practice.</p><p>He was a member of the 2011 inaugural class of the Louisiana Judicial Leadership Institute, as well as a member of the court cost committee of the Louisiana Judicial Council.&nbsp; He is the former President of the Board of Governors for the Louisiana Judicial College<br /></p><p>&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>
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<div class="col-md-12"><div class="col col-md-4"><img src="/images/biography/Jefferson_D_Hughes_III.jpg" style="pointer-events:none;" class="img-responsive" />Louisiana Supreme Court <br />Associate Justice Jefferson Hughes
</div><div class="col col-lg-8"><h3>ASSOCIATE JUSTICE JEFFERSON HUGHES</h3><br /></div><div class="col col-md-8 text-justify"><div><p>Jefferson Hughes grew up and attended school in Denham Springs, Louisiana.</p><p>At Denham Springs High School he played four sports, was Salutatorian of his class, and a National Merit Scholar Finalist. He attended LSU on an academic scholarship and received a degree in history with honors. He attended LSU Law School and was selected for the Louisiana Law Review.</p><p>He served as a law clerk for Judge Frank Polozola and began private practice in Baton Rouge with the firm of Adcock, Dupree, and Shows. He then began a solo practice and was the first attorney to practice law in Walker, Louisiana. </p><p>After 12 years of private practice he was elected to the 21st Judicial District court in 1990 where he served for 14 years. In 2004 he was elected to the Court of Appeal, First Circuit, where he served for 8 years. He was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2012 and began his service on February 1, 2013.</p><p>Justice Hughes resides in Walker and attends Shady Bower Church.<br /></p><p style="margin-bottom:0;">&nbsp;</p></div></div></div>
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