James David ‘Buddy’ Caldwell, Jr., the current Republican Attorney General of Louisiana, was in Kaplan last week as the guest speaker for the annual Kaplan Area Chamber of Commerce luncheon.

The Attorney General touched on issues his office helps the public with.

Caldwell said he reveiwed more than $40 billion of bond issues last year.

“I review every bond that is issued in the state of Louisiana. This includes every bond for roads, hospitals, and any other issue municipalities throughout the state put out.

Another very important function done by the AG office is rendering opinions for public bodies.

“Any issue, whether its political, controversial, or racial, etc., gets reviewed and gets an unbiased opinion based on the facts presented to us. This saves the public bodies from going to court and spending millions of dollars in legal fees.

Caldwell also stated the state has a nationally recognized program called the Fugitive Apprehnsion program.

“This unit is also known as one of the best in the country for apprehending criminals for internet crimes against children. We work with the sheriff and local police in making the arrests happen.

Other items of interest he touched upon were frivilous lawsuits and preserving the states natural resources from the BP oil spill.

“It’s a tough and complicated job and you’d better know what you are doing,” said Caldwell. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

Caldwell comes to the Attorney General’s office after 29 years as a District Attorney in the 6th Judicial district. Buddy’s roots run deep in northeast Louisiana. He was the fourth of seven children, in Columbia located in Caldwell Parish.

The family moved to Madison parish in 1949, when Buddy was three years old, and has lived there ever since.

Buddy attended Tallulah High School and graduated with honors. Not only did he excel in academics but also athletics. He lettered in basketball, football, and track, and played semi-professional baseball in north Louisiana. Buddy earned his Bachelor’s degree from Tulane University where he also played football and ran track. He received a law degree from Tulane Law School in 1973.

Buddy was elected to the Board of Directors of the Louisiana District Attorney’s Association in 1983, and served on that board an unprecedented 13 years in a row, until 1996. He has been elected President of the Board and has since been elected three additional years as the Past Presidents’ representative.

Until his election to state Attorney General, Buddy personally tried most major felony cases in his three-parish district. He continued to advise police juries, port commissions, school boards, hospital service districts, and law enforcement on many other legal matters.