David Michael Williams, currently serves as one of the seven Ninth Judicial District Court Judges in Rapides Parish. He is the fourth African-American to hold the position in this Parish.
Prior to being elected, David served as the City Attorney for the City of Alexandria, Louisiana, where he was the executive counsel to the Honorable Jeffrey W. Hall, Alexandria’s first African-American Mayor. His duties also included representation of the Alexandria City Council.
Prior to his appointment, David maintained a private practice as a solo practitioner involved in an array of litigation both at the state and federal level. His case load consisted of but was not limited to: criminal litigation, municipal and local government defense, complex real estate issues, family law, children in need of care and several other facets of legal representation.
Additionally, David has maintained a private practice throughout the state in which he deemed it an honor to provide zealous advocacy and representation for those individuals who could not afford to hire an attorney. He still performs pro-bono and public defense in Natchitoches Parish, representing those who are indigent.
David is a product of Silver City Elementary School (W.O. Hall), Jones Street Junior High School (Arthur F. Smith), Alexandria Junior High School (Alexandria Middle Magnet) and ultimately a graduate from Bolton Senior High School where he graduated with honors in the class of 1999. During his tenure at Bolton. David received numerous academic awards as well as All District and All State honors in track and field. Those awards helped propelled him to obtain a scholarship in athletics as well as academics to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana.
David graduated from Northwestern in 2004 Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in Psychology. He enrolled at Southern University Law Center in the Fall of 2005 and graduated with honors and on the Dean’s List with his Juris Doctor in the Spring of 2008. David sat for and passed the Louisiana State Bar Exam in July of 2008 and was admitted to practice law in the State of Louisiana in October of 2008, at which time he immediately began practicing as a solo practitioner.
David serves, has served, or in some capacity has been involved in all of the following activities:
- Past Board Member for the Louisiana Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (LACDL)
- Past President of the Local Central Louisiana Criminal Defense Bar
- Pro Bono and Indigent Defense
- Current Board Member for Acadiana Legal Services
- Current Board Member for Rapides Regional Medical Center
- Continuing Legal Education Instructor
- Member of the Louisiana House of Delegates for the Louisiana Bar Association
- Member of Omega Psi Phi Incorporated Fraternity and Service Organization’
- Deacon and Minister of Music at Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church
- Gideon’s Promise Organizational Reform for Indigent Defense
David believes his greatest accomplishment is his family and he professes that marriage and raising children has taught him more than any college or law school could ever teach him. He has been married to his beautiful wife Danielle Warsley-Williams for 16 years and they have four children: Noelle Faith Williams, Noble August Williams, Noa-Michelle Williams, and Nehemiah David Williams.
David is a member of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church, pastored by his father the Rev. Henry Williams Jr., where he currently serves as the church musician. His mother Monica Williams, is a native of Alexandria and a graduate of Peabody High School, class of 1973.
David Firmly believes positions of public service are appointed and ordained by God and the perceived authority that coattails these positions should not be revered with conceit and/or selfish intentions but they should be used as a platform to elevate and promote others –which should be the true purpose of public service: raising the bar and then elevating others by giving them the tools, resources and opportunities to be able to reach and overtake that bar.