Tony Clayton Secures Another Six-Year Term as District Attorney for Three-Parish Judicial District
Antonio “Tony” Clayton will remain the top prosecutor for West Baton Rouge, Iberville and Pointe Coupee parishes after winning reelection without opposition, extending his leadership of the 18th Judicial District for another six years.
Clayton, a Democrat, was first elected district attorney in 2020 after longtime District Attorney Richard J. Ward Jr. retired following nearly three decades in the position. Clayton again faced no challenger in the latest election, allowing him to retain the office without a contested race.
His reelection continues a legal career that has included some of Louisiana’s most closely watched criminal cases.
Before becoming district attorney, Clayton served as first assistant district attorney and chief of felony trials in the 18th Judicial District. During that time, he gained recognition for prosecuting high-profile violent crime cases, including the cases against convicted serial killers Derrick Todd Lee and Sean Gillis.
Lee was convicted of second-degree murder and later died in 2016 while serving a life sentence at Louisiana State Penitentiary. Gillis also was convicted and remains imprisoned at Angola, where he is serving a life sentence.
Clayton's experience in major felony prosecutions became a central part of his professional reputation before he assumed the district attorney's office.
Outside the courtroom, Clayton also has expanded his role in higher education and public service. He serves as chairman of the Southern University Board of Supervisors, a position to which he was appointed by Gov. Jeff Landry. He began serving as chairman Dec. 1.
Clayton also remains a partner in the Port Allen law firm Clayton, Fruge and Ward.
His unopposed reelection gives him another six years to oversee criminal prosecutions, manage the district attorney's office and work with law enforcement and courts across the three-parish judicial district.
For Clayton, the election represents continued voter confidence in an office he has led since succeeding Ward in 2020.
