Jason Rogers Williams (born November 2, 1972) is an American politician and attorney who is the Orleans Parish district attorney; he assumed office in 2021. From 2014 to 2021, Williams served as the Second Division Councilmember-at-large on the New Orleans City Council. He is a member of the Democratic Party, and was elected district attorney on a progressive platform. Williams was charged with multiple counts of federal tax fraud. In 2022, he was acquitted of all charges.

Early life and education

Williams was born and spent his adolescence in New Orleans. He graduated from Woodward Academy, in College Park, Georgia, and attended Tulane University on a football scholarship, where he was elected class president 4 times. Additionally, he attended

Tulane Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans New Orleans ( , ,Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (french: Cour suprême de Louisiane) is the highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orlea ...

New Orleans City Council

Williams is a member of the Democratic Party. He served as the At-large Division 2 member of the New Orleans City Council from his swearing in on March 15, 2014 until his resignation on January 11, 2021, to assume his position as district attorney. The seat would remain vacant until January 28, 2021, when Donna Glapion was chosen to fill his seat. Williams served as president of the council.

District Attorney of New Orleans

In 2018, Williams announced he would be a candidate in the 2020 Orleans Parish district attorney election. Williams campaigned on massive reforms to the district attorney's office, which has been plagued with allegations of prosecutorial overreach. His campaign was characterized as progressive and part of a movement of progressive reforms in district attorney positions around the United States. His policies are in stark contrast to those of his predecessor, Leon Cannizzaro, who held a more traditional "tough on crime" approach as district attorney. Williams would go on to defeat his opponent Keva Landrum on the December 5th election and assumed office January 11, 2021. Following backlash from a sharp rise in 701 release cases and an increase in related crimes such as car jackings, public calls for Williams resignation have been made. As of February 10, 2022, Williams has not stepped down, but called a press conference to address “701 releases,” an article in State Criminal Court that gives defendants the right to a speedy trial. Williams criticized ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', , is a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the court held that the Constitution of the United States does not confer a right to abortion. The court's decision overruled both ''R ...

'', a ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn '' Roe v. Wade''. He indicated his office would not prosecute abortion providers, instead, focusing on other crimes.

Tax fraud charges

In June 2020, during his campaign for district attorney, Williams was charged with 11 counts of federal tax fraud. Williams claimed he was innocent. His trial was set by U.S. District Court Judge Martin Feldman for January 2022, but it was delayed due to an appeal made to the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. At trial in July 2022, a jury acquitted Williams of all charges.

Election history

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Jason 21st-century American politicians Living people Louisiana Democrats New Orleans City Council members Tulane University alumni Tulane University Law School alumni 1972 births