James David Caldwell Sr., known as Buddy Caldwell (born May 20, 1946), is an American attorney and politician from the state of Louisiana. He served as Attorney General of Louisiana from 2008 to 2015.
Buddy Caldwell | |
|---|---|
| 44th Attorney General of Louisiana | |
| In office January 14, 2008 – January 11, 2016 | |
| Governor | Bobby Jindal |
| Preceded by | Charles Foti |
| Succeeded by | Jeff Landry |
| Personal details | |
| Born | James David Caldwell May 20, 1946 Columbia, Louisiana, U.S |
| Political party | Democratic (before 2011) Republican (2011–present) |
| Spouse | Pat Caldwell (third wife) |
| Children | 7 (including stepchildren) |
| Alma mater | Tulane University (BA, JD) |
Career
editCaldwelll was elected Attorney General of Louisiana elected as a Democrat in 2007, defeating Republican Royal Alexander.[1] He became a member of the Republican Party in 2011.[2][3] Prior to his party switch, he was the only Democratic state attorney general to challenge the constitutionality of the Affordable Care Act (ACA).[4]
Caldwell was reelected in the 2011 Attorney General election without opposition after his sole opponent, former U.S. Representative Joseph Cao, dropped out of the race.[4]
Caldwell lost his 2015 reelection bid to Republican Jeff Landry.[5] In 2018, the interim mayor of Tallulah, Louisiana, appointed Caldwell as interim city attorney.[6]
In 2008, the murder conviction of Angola inmate Albert Woodfox was overturned by a federal judge. Caldwell appealed the decision to overturn Woodfox's conviction, despite significant evidence that Woodfox had not committed the crime. Woodfox speculated that Caldwell may have been using the appeal in order to gain public attention for himself as the recently appointed Attorney General of Louisiana[7].When questioned in an interview by NPR's Laura Sullivan about a bloody fingerprint found at the scene of the crime that was proven not to belong to Woodfox, Caldwell replied, "A fingerprint can come from anywhere."
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Buddy Caldwell Wins the Attorney General's Race". WAFB. November 18, 2007. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Hays, Robb (February 2, 2011). "Report: AG Buddy Caldwell to switch to GOP". WAFB. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ "Caldwell announces his switch to the GOP". Charleston Gazette-Mail. February 5, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ a b Tilove, Jonathan (September 20, 2011). "Attorney General Buddy Caldwell re-elected as former Rep. Joseph Cao drops out of race". NOLA.com. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
- ^ Ken Daley (November 22, 2015). "Landry knocks off Caldwell in Louisiana attorney general's race | Local Politics". nola.com. Retrieved March 15, 2020.
- ^ Waggenspack, Tyler (September 24, 2018). "Tallulah appoints former state attorney general as city attorney". KNOE. Retrieved March 16, 2020.
- ^ Woodfox, Albert (2019). Solitary. Erscheinungsort nicht ermittelbar: Grove/Atlantic, Incorporated. ISBN 978-0-8021-2908-6.