Term Ends: 2022
Party: R
Judge Ezell was born. reared, and educated in Greenville, Mississippi. He is married to Bernell Marie Thibodeaux Ezell and is the father of Bart, Britt and Brookes and has three stepchildren, Christie, Jean-Paul, and Natalie. He is the grandfather of three and step-grandfather of four.
Judge Ezell graduated from Greenville High School in 1961. He received a bachelor’s degree in marketing and management from LSU in 1965, where he was a Captain and Quarterback of the LSU Tigers Football team and a member of the baseball team 1964-1965. He was a member of Sigma Chi fraternity and a member of the LSU ROTC Program. He received his juris doctorate from LSU. Upon graduating from Law School, he entered active duty with the United States Army and while serving, obtained the rank of Captain. After officer basic course at Fort Sill, Oklahoma in 1970, he served nine months in Vietnam before his discharge in 1971. His military awards include the National Defense Service Medal, the Vietnam Service Medal, Bronze Star, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal w/60 Dev Rifle M-16 (Exp). He received the Bronze Star for meritorious achievement in ground operations against hostile forces in the fall of 1970.
Upon return to the United States, he was stationed at Fort Polk for four months. After his discharge, he began his practice of law in Lake Charles, Louisiana, with the firm of Camp, Carmouche, and after two years, practiced with the firm of McHale and Bufkin. While with the firm of McHale and Bufkin, he was the city prosecutor for the City of Lake Charles. In 1975, the firm of Levingston, Liles, Ezell and Tynes was formed and he engaged in the general practice of law until his election as the first Family and Juvenile Judge for the Fourteenth Judicial District Court JDC in Calcasieu Parish, where he served for 18 years. He has served on the Court of Appeal, Third Circuit since 2003.
Judge Ezell is a member of the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association, Louisiana Bar Association, American Inns of Court, American Bar Association, American Judges Association, VFW, American Legion, and the Knights of Columbus.
Judge Ezell has served as president of the 3rd Circuit Judges Association, as a member of the Judicial Budgetary Control Board of the State of Louisiana, and President of the Louisiana Family Courts Judges’ Association.
Judge Ezell has served as a panelist/speaker/lecturer at many continuing legal education seminars on such topics as Practices and Procedures of the Third Circuit, Court of Appeal and Family Law issues and procedures.