Cade Cole

Cade R. Cole is an attorney and Judge in Louisiana.

Education
Cole received his J.D. from Tulane School of Law. At Tulane 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 of the Louisiana Supreme Court before entering private practice in Lake Charles, Louisiana.

Legal career
Cole is Louisiana's only judge with statewide jurisdiction as Louisiana's tax judge. He has served on the DeQuincy Municipal Court and was the City Attorney for Sulphur, 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 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 term of President Donald Trump. He chaired the federal court's Magistrate Judge Selection Committee in 2023.

It was reported by The Advocate that Cole is “the early favorite” to succeed Justice James T. Genovese on the Louisiana Supreme Court. He was endorsed by Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill who stated that Cole is "smart and hard-working, and he has the character and integrity we expect from members of our state’s highest court."

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. 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.