Hon. Wendy B. Vitter, Chief U.S. District Judge, USDC-EDLA

Wendy Vitter was sworn in as a United States District Judge for the Eastern District of Louisiana on May 30, 2019, and assumed the role of Chief Judge in May 2025.  Immediately prior to her appointment to the Bench, Judge Vitter was General Counsel for the Archdiocese of New Orleans, the first General Counsel in the history of the Archdiocese.  In that role, she provided counsel to the Archdiocese as well as various associated entities such as Catholic Charities, Second Harvest Food Bank, the Clarion Herald, Notre Dame Seminary, and over 100 elementary and high schools.  Judge Vitter previously worked as an associate at Abbott & Meeks Law Firm which specialized in Maritime litigation. Prior to that role, she served as an Assistant District Attorney in New Orleans, trying over 100 jury trials with a specialty in homicide prosecutions. At the time she left the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office, she was Chief of the Trials Division, overseeing the trial attorneys in ten sections of Criminal District Court. Judge Vitter received her BA degree from Sam Houston State University, earning her degree in 3 ½ years and Law Degree from Tulane University Law School. Most significantly, she and her husband David became grandparents of precious twin boys last year. She is considering her grandmother name to be “Your Honor.”

Hon. Darrel James Papillion, U.S. District Judge, USDC-EDLA

Darrel James Papillion is a district judge who serves on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in New Orleans. He was appointed by President Biden in June 2023.  Prior to becoming a federal judge, he was a civil litigation attorney in New Orleans and Baton Rouge for nearly 30 years and was a Fellow in the American College of Trial Lawyers.

He earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and served as a law clerk to Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Catherine D. Kimball.

Hon. Brandon S. Long, U.S. District Judge, USDC-EDLA

Brandon S. Long was sworn in as a U.S. District Judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana on December 21, 2023. He began his legal career in private practice in Washington, DC, specializing in white-collar criminal litigation and corporate compliance. In 2010, he joined the U.S. Justice Department, first as a federal prosecutor in Washington, DC, then as a federal prosecutor in his hometown of New Orleans. In these roles, Judge Long directed the investigation and prosecution of fraud, public corruption, narcotics offenses, and violent crimes. In 2020 and 2021, Judge Long moved back to Washington, DC, to serve as the Deputy Chief of Staff and Acting Chief of Staff at the Federal Bureau of Investigation. As the Acting Chief of Staff, he was the primary advisor to FBI Director Christopher A. Wray and worked closely with him and other senior leaders at the Justice Department on criminal, national security, and internal operational matters. He received his B.A. (Government) and B.B.A. (Accounting) degrees cum laude from The University of Texas at Austin and his J.D. degree cum laude from Duke University School of Law, where he was a member of the Duke Law Journal.

Hon. William J. Crain, U.S. District Judge, USDC-EDLA

Judge William Crain was appointed to the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana in December 2025. He previously served on the Louisiana Supreme Court (2019-2025), the First Circuit Court of Appeal (2013-2019) and the 22nd Judicial District Court (2009-2012). He is the first native-born Northshore resident elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court and the second appointed to the eastern district, following Judge Lansing Leroy “Tut” Mitchell appointed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1996. He was the chairman of the Louisiana Supreme Court Executive Committee and chairman of the Louisiana Judicial College, which is responsible for judicial education in Louisiana.

Hon. Anna St. John, U.S. District Judge, USDC-EDLA

Anna St. John is a judge on the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Born in Gulfport, Mississippi, she earned a B.A. from Louisiana State University, an M.A. from Columbia University, and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She clerked for Judge Rhesa H. Barksdale of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and spent two decades in private practice and public-interest law.