Scott Crichton | |
|---|---|
| Associate Justice of theLouisiana Supreme Court | |
| In office January 1, 2015 – January 1, 2025 | |
| Preceded by | Jeffrey P. Victory |
| Succeeded by | John Guidry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Scott Jackson Crichton (1954-06-01)June 1, 1954 (age 70) Shreveport,Louisiana,U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic (before 2014) Republican (2014–present) |
| Spouse | Susie Simonton (c. 1986–present) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Louisiana State University (BA,JD) |
Scott Jackson Crichton (born June 1, 1954)[1] is an associate justice of theLouisiana Supreme Court. He was a judge of theLouisiana 1st Judicial District Court inShreveport from 1991 to 2014. Crichton was elected to the district court in 1990 as aDemocrat. In 2014, he ran without opposition[2] to succeed the retiring JusticeJeffrey P. Victory for the District 2 seat on the seven-member state Supreme Court. Thenonpartisan blanket primary for the position was held on November 4, 2014, in eleven northwest Louisiana parishes.
In 2024, Crichton did not seek a second ten-year term on the Supreme Court and was succeeded byJohn Michael Guidry.
Crichton is the son of Thomas Crichton, III (1917–1989), who though born inMonroe was a businessman-landholder descended from a pioneer family inMinden inWebster Parish east of Shreveport.[3] His mother, the former Mary Murff (1919–1983), was a native of Shreveport; her grandfather was a district court judge in 1906. Crichton himself was born in Shreveport but attended school for the first eight years in Minden. For high school, he was sent to theprivateboarding school, theWebb School inBell Buckle inBedford County nearShelbyville in middleTennessee. The school then had an enrollment of only two hundred, but with a demanding curriculum, honor code, and required obstacle courses including the development of survival skills.[4]
After graduation from the Webb School, Crichton attendedLouisiana State University inBaton Rouge, from which he received his undergraduate degree in 1976. In 1980, he received hisJuris Doctor degree from theLouisiana State University Law Center. He and his wife, the former Susan "Susie" Simonton (born November 23, 1957), whom he marriedc. 1986, have two sons, Stuart Jackson Crichton (a 2013 LSU Law school graduate) and Sam Crichton (a 2014 LSU Law school graduate).[5] Since 1985, the judge has been a member ofSt. Mark's Cathedral, anEpiscopal cathedral in Shreveport.[6]
More than five hundred people attended Crichton's campaign kickoff party on April 29, 2013, at Ernest's Orleans Restaurant in Shreveport. Among those in attendance were fellow judges and law enforcement officials from around the state.[7] Had he drawn an opponent, Crichton's campaign was to have been co-managed by his wife Susie and Carolyn Prator, the wife of Crichton's friend, Caddo Parish Sheriff Steve Prator.[8]
In 2017, Crichton wrote in a concurring opinion that a prisoner being interrogated by police who said "just give me a lawyer, dog" did not actually request a lawyer, because the request was ambiguous as to whether the prison was requesting a lawyer or a dog.[9][10][11][12]
| Legal offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Associate Justice of theLouisiana Supreme Court 2015–2025 | Succeeded by |