Representative Donald J. Cazayoux

Donald Jules Cazayoux Jr. (kah-ZHOO; born January 17, 1964) is an American lawyer and former politician who served as a Democratic United States Representative from Louisiana’s 6th congressional district from 2008 to 2009 and as United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana from 2010 to 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he contributed to the legislative process during one term in Congress, representing the interests of his constituents during a significant period in American political history.

Cazayoux is a native of New Roads, Louisiana, and the son of Donald J. and Ann Cazayoux. His paternal grandparents were Jules Joseph Cazayoux Jr. (1914–2010), who was employed by the Southern Cotton Oil Company, and Ida Belle Glynn Cazayoux. Raised in the Roman Catholic faith, he attended Catholic High School of Pointe Coupee, from which he graduated in 1982. He went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree from Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge and later received a Juris Doctor from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C., preparing for a career in law and public service.

After completing his legal education, Cazayoux returned to Louisiana to practice law and subsequently became a prosecutor for Pointe Coupee Parish. Serving as an assistant district attorney under 18th Judicial District Attorney Richard “Ricky” Ward, he developed a reputation as an effective trial lawyer and reportedly never lost a jury trial. His prosecutorial work, particularly in a rural, multi-parish jurisdiction, helped establish his credentials on criminal justice and law enforcement issues, which would later inform his legislative and federal service.

Cazayoux entered elective office in 1999, when he was first elected to the Louisiana House of Representatives. He represented District 18, a heavily Democratic district that includes his home in Pointe Coupee Parish as well as portions of Iberville, West Baton Rouge, and West Feliciana parishes. In the state legislature, he became one of the few freshmen ever appointed to the powerful Appropriations Committee, giving him early influence over state budgetary matters. He also worked for the passage of laws designed to assist law enforcement in cracking down on child sexual predators, reflecting his background as a prosecutor and his focus on public safety.

Following the resignation of Republican Congressman Richard H. Baker from Louisiana’s 6th congressional district, Cazayoux announced his candidacy for the vacant seat. With strong backing from the national Democratic Party, he won the Democratic primary, defeating fellow state representative Michael L. Jackson, who represented a portion of Baton Rouge. In the special election held on May 3, 2008, he defeated Republican nominee Woody Jenkins and was sworn into the U.S. House of Representatives on May 6, 2008. His victory made him the first Democrat to represent the 6th District since four-term incumbent John Rarick was defeated in the 1974 Democratic primary; the seat had subsequently been held by Republicans Henson Moore for twelve years and Richard Baker from 1987 until his resignation.

During his service in the 110th Congress from 2008 to 2009, Cazayoux participated in the democratic process at the federal level and represented a district centered on Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes. He was regarded as a moderate-to-conservative Democrat, in keeping with many Louisiana Democrats outside New Orleans. He strongly opposed abortion and gun control, positions that aligned him with socially conservative voters, while supporting the expansion of the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) and favoring the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. He described himself as “a John Breaux Democrat,” invoking the centrist former U.S. senator from Louisiana. His 2008 congressional campaign was endorsed by Democrats for Life of America, reflecting his anti-abortion stance.

In the regularly scheduled general election in November 2008, Cazayoux sought a full term but was defeated by Republican State Senator Bill Cassidy. Cassidy received 48 percent of the vote to Cazayoux’s 40 percent. Michael L. Jackson, who had lost to Cazayoux in the Democratic primary earlier that year, ran in the general election as an independent with financial support from long-time Cassidy supporter Lane Grigsby. Jackson finished third with 36,133 votes, a total exceeding the approximately 25,000-vote margin between Cassidy and Cazayoux, leading many observers to conclude that he drew a significant share of African-American votes that might otherwise have gone to Cazayoux and thus helped secure Cassidy’s victory. The Daily Kingfish later published photographs of Jackson meeting with Congressman-elect Cassidy three days after the election. Cazayoux was one of five incumbent House Democrats defeated in the 2008 congressional elections, along with Nancy Boyda of Kansas, William J. Jefferson of Louisiana, Nick Lampson of Texas, and Tim Mahoney of Florida.

In April 2010, President Barack Obama nominated Cazayoux to serve as United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, following a recommendation made in May 2009 by U.S. Senator Mary Landrieu. He was unanimously confirmed by the United States Senate on June 22, 2010. As U.S. Attorney, a position he held until 2013, Cazayoux oversaw federal prosecutions and civil litigation on behalf of the United States in a district that includes Baton Rouge and surrounding parishes, drawing on his extensive experience as a prosecutor and legislator to manage a broad portfolio of criminal and civil enforcement matters.

After stepping down as U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana, Cazayoux returned to private practice. In 2014 he announced the opening of the Cazayoux Ewing law offices in Baton Rouge and New Roads. He partnered with Lane Ewing, a former assistant U.S. Attorney, and also brought into the firm longtime assistant U.S. Attorney Stan Lemelle, forming a practice that emphasized complex litigation and federal criminal and civil matters. Beyond his professional roles, Cazayoux has been active in civic and community organizations, including service as president of the New Roads branch of the Lions Club from 2002 to 2003.

Cazayoux married Cherie Chavanne in 1986, and the couple has three children: Michael, Chavanne, and Katie. He remains closely identified with his roots in New Roads and Pointe Coupee Parish and is noted as a distant relative of the late Corinne “Lindy” Boggs, who served as a U.S. Representative from Louisiana and later as U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See. Throughout his career in state and federal office and in the legal profession, Cazayoux has been associated with a centrist Democratic philosophy, a strong emphasis on law enforcement, and continued engagement in public and community life in Louisiana.