William Norris III also known as Bill Norris (October 17, 1936 – July 13, 2016), was an American

judge A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as a part of a panel of judges. A judge hears all the witnesses and any other evidence presented by the barristers or solicitors of the case, assesses the credibility an ...

from West Monroe,

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, who served at the municipal, district, and circuit court levels. Norris graduated from

Ouachita Parish High School Ouachita Parish High School is a high school located in unincorporated Ouachita Parish, Louisiana, United States, near Monroe. It is administrated by the Ouachita Parish School Board. It is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleg ...

Northeast Louisiana State College The University of Louisiana Monroe (ULM) is a public university in Monroe, Louisiana. It is part of the University of Louisiana System. History ULM opened in 1931 as Ouachita Parish Junior College. Three years later it became the Northeast Cen ...

, and

Tulane University Law School Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. In addition to the usual common ...

. Norris practiced law in West Monroe and served on the

Ouachita Parish School Board Ouachita Parish School Board is a school district headquartered in Monroe, Louisiana, United States. The district serves Ouachita Parish except for areas within the City of Monroe; those areas are instead served by the Monroe City School System. ...

from 1964 to 1971 and from 2011 to 2014 and was a president of the school board. Norris served as West Monroe city attorney from 1964 to 1970 and city judge from 1970 to 1974. From 1974 to 1980, Norris sat on the Louisiana Fourth Judicial District Court, based in Monroe. From 1981 until his retirement in 2002, Norris was a member of the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Second Circuit, based in

Shreveport Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana, Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population o ...

. After he left his judgeship, he practiced law in West Monroe with his son, Jim Norris. Norris was one of four children, two surviving, of William Norris II (1909–1987), a native of Smith County,

Mississippi Mississippi () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States, bordered to the north by Tennessee; to the east by Alabama; to the south by the Gulf of Mexico; to the southwest by Louisiana; and to the northwest by Arkansas. Miss ...

, and the former Rosalie Beeson (1911–1996). They are interred at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery in Monroe. He was an active member of the First

Baptist Baptists form a major branch of Protestantism distinguished by baptizing professing Christian believers only (believer's baptism), and doing so by complete immersion. Baptist churches also generally subscribe to the doctrines of soul compete ...

Church of West Monroe. He died at the age of seventy-nine in West Monroe from a

stroke A stroke is a medical condition in which poor blood flow to the brain causes cell death. There are two main types of stroke: ischemic, due to lack of blood flow, and hemorrhagic, due to bleeding. Both cause parts of the brain to stop functionin ...

and is interred at Hasley Cemetery in West Monroe. His younger brother, Dave Norris, has been since 1978 the

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of West Monroe and the longest serving person ever in that position of city government. His youngest sister, Ellen Prather resides in Calhoun, LA.

References

1936 births 2016 deaths People from West Monroe, Louisiana Ouachita Parish High School alumni University of Louisiana at Monroe alumni Tulane University Law School alumni School board members in Louisiana Louisiana city attorneys Louisiana city judges Louisiana state court judges Circuit court judges in the United States Louisiana Democrats Baptists from Louisiana Burials in Louisiana 20th-century American judges 20th-century Baptists {{Louisiana-politician-stub