Watchdog: Accountable.US Releases New Research Investigations on Trump’s Latest Judicial Nominees

Washington, D.C. – Today, Accountable.US is releasing its latest investigations into President Donald Trump’s most recent judicial appointees: Will Crain, nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and Alexander Coker Van Hook, nominee to the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The research is part of Accountable.US’s Judicial Nominations Watch, a clearinghouse for investigative research on Trump’s judicial nominees and far-right special interests supporting them. 

“Since retaking office, Donald Trump has taken his first term playbook of capturing the judicial branch with extreme nominees, and supercharged it by installing loyalists who are laser focused on delivering for Trump instead of following the rule of law,” said Tony Carrk, Executive Director of Accountable.US. “Trump’s latest judicial nominees have been bought and paid for by special interests, and hold concerning records of advancing extreme ideological interests on the Court. Senators should know that a vote for these nominees is a vote to take away Americans’ fundamental freedoms.”

READ MORE BELOW: 

Will Crain, Nominee to the U.S. District Court For The Eastern District Of Louisiana

President Trump nominated Louisiana Supreme Court Justice Will Crain to serve as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. Crain has served on the Louisiana Supreme Court since late 2019. His Supreme Court campaign was heavily backed by energy industry interests and big business, raising over $1 million total in contributions. His campaign finance reports reveal a troubling pattern of support from the very industries that frequently appear before Louisiana courts, with major corporate contributors including Koch Industries, ExxonMobil, and Chevron. These financial relationships created immediate conflicts of interest. Since joining the Louisiana Supreme Court, Crain has been subject to at least three recusal motions from the Talbot, Carmouche and Marcello law firm, which represented landowners in lawsuits against oil and gas companies. 

Crain’s record on reproductive rights raises serious concerns about his views on women’s healthcare. During his 2019 election, he campaigned as “pro-life” and staunchly anti-abortion. In August 2022, he cast a decisive vote to keep Louisiana’s abortion ban in effect, which had no exceptions for rape or incest. The ruling came without written explanation despite severe consequences. In one documented case, a woman 16 weeks pregnant was denied an abortion even though her fetus had no chance of survival and was forced to deliver and lost one liter of blood. Doctors warn the ban’s vague language could lead to women’s deaths and has created a chilling effect in the medical community, as physicians struggle to determine when they may legally provide care even under narrow exceptions for saving a patient’s life. Crain is also a member of the Federalist Society and participated in events hosted by the organization.

Alexander Coker Van Hook, Nominee to the District Court For The Western District Of Louisiana 

President Trump nominated Alexander Coker Van Hook to serve as a federal judge on the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, the same district where Van Hook spent his entire 26-year legal career as a federal prosecutor. Van Hook joined the U.S. Attorney’s Office in 1999 and steadily rose through leadership positions including Assistant U.S. Attorney, Deputy Criminal Chief, Special Counsel, First Assistant U.S. Attorney, and lead attorney for the Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Force, concentrating on public corruption, asset forfeiture, money laundering, and white-collar crimes. At the time of his nomination, Van Hook was serving as Acting United States Attorney, overseeing all criminal and civil cases across 42 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes. 

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