Cade Richard Cole (born 1982 or 1983) is an American lawyer who has served as an associate justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (; ) is the supreme court, highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Supreme ...

since 2025.

Education

Cole received a

Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...

from

Tulane University The Tulane University of Louisiana (commonly referred to as Tulane University) is a private research university in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Founded as the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834 by a cohort of medical doctors, it b ...

and a

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

from

Tulane University Law School The Tulane University School of Law is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States. Campus The law schoo ...

. While in law school, he received the award for highest performance in Obligations II, Income Tax, Public Utility law and Energy Regulation. After law school, Cole served as a law clerk to Justice

Jeannette Knoll Alicia Jeannette Theriot Knoll (born January 23, 1943) is a former member of the Louisiana Supreme Court. Knoll announced that she would retire at the end of 2016 rather than seek re-election. She was succeeded by James T. Genovese (born August ...

of the

before entering private practice in

Lake Charles, Louisiana Lake Charles is the List of municipalities in Louisiana, fifth-most populous city in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and the county seat, parish seat of Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, Calcasieu Parish, located on Lake Charles (Louisiana), Lake Char ...

Legal career

When serving as a tax judge, Cole was the only judge in Louisiana with statewide jurisdiction. He has served on the DeQuincy Municipal Court and was the city attorney for

Sulphur Sulfur (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphur (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling) is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol S and atomic number 16. It is abundance of the chemical ...

, Vinton, and DeQuincy. He was also a prosecutor and an Assistant District Attorney in the Louisiana 38th and 14th Judicial Districts. Cole also served as

Special Master In the law of the United States, a special master is an official appointed by a judge to ensure judicial orders are followed, or in the alternative, to hear evidence on behalf of the judge and make recommendations to the judge as to the dispositi ...

to expedite the resolution of hurricane related suits in 16 Louisiana parishes and in the United States District Court for Western Louisiana. He also served as a member of the vetting committee for federal judicial appointments in Louisiana during the first term of President

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

. He chaired the federal court's Magistrate Judge Selection Committee in 2023. It was reported by

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

that Cole was “the early favorite” to succeed Justice James T. Genovese on the Louisiana Supreme Court. Cole was elected to the Louisiana Supreme Court on January 29, 2025, when no other candidates qualified to run against him. He was sworn into office on April 3, 2025 by retired Justice

Memberships and awards

Cole is a member of the Florida and Louisiana bars. He previously served as Louisiana State College Republican Chair and as a member of the

Federalist Society The Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies (FedSoc) is an American Conservatism in the United States, conservative and Libertarianism in the United States, libertarian legal organization that advocates for a Textualism, textualist an ...

. He is a past member of the Louisiana Baptist Convention's Committee on Moral and Social Concerns and was appointed to the Louisiana Service Commission by Governor Mike Foster. Cole received the 2013 President's Award for Outstanding Service to the Southwest Louisiana Bar Association for work to stabilize indigent defense funding. Cole has served the Louisiana State Bar Association as Tax Section Chair, House of Delegates Member, and Member of the CLE Programming Committee. He previously served as Chairman of the Tax Law Advisory Commission for the Louisiana Board of Legal Specialization.

References

External links

* https://colelaw.us/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Cole, Cade 1980s births Living people 20th-century American lawyers 21st-century American judges American prosecutors Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court Louisiana city attorneys Louisiana lawyers Louisiana Republicans Tax lawyers Tulane University alumni