The Hon. James M. Crowl is a judge for the 3rd Judicial District Court of Kansas in Shawnee County. He was appointed to the bench by Governor Laura Kelly in 2023, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. Mary Christopher.
Prior to his appointment, Crowl was the county counselor in Shawnee County, having served in that capacity since 2016. He first joined Shawnee County as an assistant county counselor (2001 to 2016), serving in that capacity for fourteen years before transitioning into the role of Interim Human Resources Director in 2015. Crowl became the Director of HR the following year.
He began his legal career in private practice as a partner at Dickson & Pope, P.A. (1994 to 2001), where his practice focused on general civil litigation in state and federal courts and administrative tribunals.
Crowl received a B.A. in economics from the University of Missouri-Columbia in 1991. He then completed a J.D. at the University of Kansas School of Law in 1994.
His memberships include the Topeka Bar Association, the Kansas Bar Association, the County Counselors Association of Kansas, and the Topeka Lawyers Club.
Crowl was raised in Osawatomie, Kansas. He and his wife have four children.