Cade Cole becomes Louisiana’s newest Supreme Court justice without opposition

by Julie O’Donoghue, Louisiana Illuminator
February 3, 2025

State tax Judge Cade Cole will automatically become the newest member of the Louisiana Supreme Court after being the only candidate to sign up last week for an election to fill the court’s open seat. He will represent District 3, which stretches from Calcasieu Parish to Caddo Parish.

At 42 years old, Cole will be the youngest of the seven justices on the bench. The court’s elected terms last 10 years, but judges are not allowed to run for the office again once they reach the age of 70. 

In an interview Sunday, the incoming justice said his swearing-in date hadn’t been scheduled yet.

The Calcasieu Parish resident is a Republican and member of the Federalist Society, a conservative legal organization that is a powerhouse in national GOP politics.

At home in Louisiana, Cole has been a behind-the-scenes operator in state judicial elections, federal judicial appointments, political redistricting and tax policy.

“We need to defend the constitution,” Cole said of the state Supreme Court’s role in government. “It’s not our job to be a super legislature. … We need to stay in our lane.”

Since 2013, Cole has been Louisiana’s part-time state and local tax judge, where he rules on tax disputes and is one of three members of the Board of State Tax Appeals. Cole was initially appointed to the job by former Gov. Bobby Jindal and then reappointed by former Gov. John Bel Edwards. 

The incoming justice also works as an attorney for local municipalities. He is the city attorney for Sulphur and Vinton and was the city magistrate of DeQuincy, where Cole grew up. He also helps cities, parishes and school boards draw their political districts as a contract lawyer.

“He’s one of the brightest individuals I’ve ever known,” said Sulphur Mayor Mike Danahay. “We’re very pleased that he’s been elected.”

A graduate of Tulane University Law School, Cole worked as an assistant district attorney in Calcasieu Parish, where he said he focused on appellate cases.

He received widespread support and endorsements for his supreme court candidacy from several elected officials in the district he will represent on the court.

“I’ve tried to work hard and be fair to everybody, Republicans and Democrats,” he said. 

Attorney General Liz Murrill formally endorsed Cole and Gov. Jeff Landry’s political action committee, CAJUN PAC II, donated $5,000 to his campaign. 

Calcasieu Parish District Attorney Stephen Dwight also said he happily supported Cole in the race.

“He’s well respected by both sides [of the political spectrum],” said Dwight, a Republican. “I think he will hit the ground running.”

Cole is the second justice to join the Louisiana Supreme Court since its political boundaries were redrawn last spring for the first time in over 30 years. The new district lines moved the base of power of his seat from Shreveport to Lake Charles, where Cole lives and works. 

When asked if he helped draw the new Supreme Court map that helped get him elected, Cole replied “not really” and said the map was the product of the justices’ own proposal and changes state lawmakers made.

“The court drew it, and the legislature changed it in a lot of material respects,” he said. “It’s fair to say that I watched it like many other people.” 

The latest map created a new majority-Black district and led to the election of the second Black justice to the seven-person court. John Michael Guidry, a longtime state appellate judge and former Democratic state lawmaker, was sworn into that seat last month. 

More than 30% of Louisiana’s population identifies as Black, and Cole said he was pleased the Supreme Court political districts were more “reflective of the state population as a whole.”

Cole replaces Justice James Genovese, who stepped down in July after he was picked as the new president of Northwestern State University with the backing of the governor. At the time, Genovese’s job swap raised questions about whether Landry was trying to stack the court with political allies.

Cole said he does not have a personal relationship with the governor, though the two are both active in Republican circles.

Cole also served as a member of the Northwestern State presidential search committee that eventually recommended Genovese for the higher education  job.

Cole said he was picked for the presidential search committee not because of his interest in the Supreme Court seat but because he is considered a state expert in financing college athletics. He helped set up a collective for McNeese State University that leverages name image and likeness deals for college athlete recruitment.

“I’ve been involved in other presidential searches for the UL System,” he said.

Since Genovese stepped down, retired Justice Jeannette Theriot Knoll has been filling in on the Supreme Court in his absence. Cole worked as a law clerk for Knoll at the Supreme Court early in his legal career and said he expects the transition between the two judges to be smooth.

Louisiana Illuminator is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Louisiana Illuminator maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Greg LaRose for questions: info@lailluminator.com.