Attorney Phillip Ellis of Ruston today announced his candidacy for the open position of judge for the Third Judicial District Court, Division B, which serves Lincoln and Union parishes.
Ellis said his decision to run for the judgeship was driven by his commitment to “serve the people of our parishes in a manner that makes our communities the kind of place they want to live and raise their families,” and the widespread encouragement and support he has received from members of the legal profession and community leaders from both parishes.
“My wife Lauren and I had serious discussions with the many people who offered their support in Lincoln and Union Parishes, and also turned to our faith, in making this decision,” he said. “Ultimately, as a husband and father, I want safer families and communities where victims are heard, not forgotten, and the law is enforced fairly and firmly.”
Ellis’ education and experience in law enforcement, and as a practicing attorney in local courts, also factored into his decision.
“This district raised me, educated me, and gave me my start in law,” Ellis said. “I have worked as a corrections officer, clerked in these local courthouses, defended the State of Louisiana, represented people on both sides of a civil case, and stood beside those who could not afford a lawyer. My commitment is simple: decide every case on the law and the facts, treat every person with respect, and keep the court docket moving along.”
Ellis was raised in neighboring Claiborne Parish and graduated from Cedar Creek School in Ruston. He attended Louisiana Tech University before transferring to the University of Louisiana Monroe, where he earned a degree in criminal justice with cum laude honors in 2009.
He began his career in law enforcement with the Webster Parish Sheriff’s Office, serving as a correctional deputy at the Bayou Dorcheat Correctional Center near Minden.
In 2011 he graduated with academic honors from the North Louisiana Criminal Justice Academy.
Ellis attended Mississippi College School of Law in Jackson, where he served as an officer of both the Moot Court Board and the Law Review, and worked as a research assistant. He graduated magna cum laude and was admitted to the Louisiana bar in 2015.
He completed an externship as a law clerk in the Louisiana Third Judicial District Court, working under Judges Cynthia Woodard, James Boddie, and Jay McCallum, now a justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court.
He then joined the Louisiana Department of Justice, Office of the Attorney General, in Monroe, serving as an attorney in the litigation division under Attorneys General Buddy Caldwell and Jeff Landry. There he defended the State of Louisiana in workers’ compensation, general liability, medical malpractice, civil rights, and road hazard claims.
In 2019, Ellis opened the Ellis Law Firm of North Louisiana in Farmerville, moving the office to Ruston in 2025 as the practice grew. He has since appeared in court across the same range of matters a district judge hears — criminal cases, successions, family law, personal injury, and business and property disputes. He also serves as a contract public defender in the Third Judicial District and on the Criminal Justice Act panel for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
“A district judge in Lincoln and Union parishes hears everything — a first-offense charge, a succession, a custody case that will shape a child’s life, a business dispute that decides whether a family keeps its livelihood,” Ellis said. “I have handled every one of those, in these very courthouses, as well as others across North Louisiana.”
Ellis and his wife, Lauren, have two children, Greer, 8, and Flynn, 5, who play on local baseball and softball teams that Ellis helps coach and sponsor. He also sponsors the Union Parish Big Buck Contest, the Pelican Crappie Club, and a kennel at 4Paws in Ruston.
The Ellises are members of Weldon Baptist Church in Bernice, where Ellis teaches an adult Sunday school class and operates the church’s audio-visual and livestreaming systems. He and his wife have supported Operation Christmas Child for more than 20 years.
The above information has been provided by a political campaign. Unless otherwise noted, the Lincoln Parish Journal publishing staff does not endorse specific candidates or ballot measures.
