Judge Crawford was appointed as a District Associate Judge in January 2016. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Creighton University in 1981 with a Bachelor of Arts in Organizational Communications and from the University of Iowa School College of Law in 1984. From 1984 to 1986 Judge Crawford was an Assistant Story County Attorney, he was in private practice in Fairfield, Iowa, from 1986-1987, and was an Assistant Marshall County Attorney from 1987 until his appointment to the bench.