Albert A. Tate Jr. (September 23, 1920 – March 27, 1986), was a long-serving

Louisiana Louisiana ( ; ; ) is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It borders Texas to the west, Arkansas to the north, and Mississippi to the east. Of the 50 U.S. states, it ranks 31st in area and 25 ...

judge. A

Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (Cyprus) (DCY) **Democratic Part ...

, Tate served as a justice of the

Louisiana Supreme Court The Supreme Court of Louisiana (; ) is the supreme court, highest court and court of last resort in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The modern Supreme Court, composed of seven justices, meets in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The Supreme ...

New Orleans New Orleans (commonly known as NOLA or The Big Easy among other nicknames) is a Consolidated city-county, consolidated city-parish located along the Mississippi River in the U.S. state of Louisiana. With a population of 383,997 at the 2020 ...

, and as a judge of the United States Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, also based in New Orleans.

Biography

Tate received a

B.A. A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree ...

from

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

in 1941, and was a

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

special agent during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, from 1942 to 1945, thereafter receiving an

LL.B. A Bachelor of Laws (; LLB) is an undergraduate law degree offered in most common law countries as the primary law degree and serves as the first professional qualification for legal practitioners. This degree requires the study of core legal subje ...

from

Yale Law School Yale Law School (YLS) is the law school of Yale University, a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was established in 1824. The 2020–21 acceptance rate was 4%, the lowest of any law school in the United ...

in 1947. He was in private practice in

Ville Platte, Louisiana Ville Platte is the largest city in, and the parish seat of, Evangeline Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 6,303 at the 2020 census, down from 8,145 in 2000. The city's name is of French origin, roughly translating to "flat to ...

, from 1948 to 1954. He was a judge of the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the First Judicial Circuit from 1954 to 1960, and presiding judge of the Louisiana Court of Appeal for the Third Judicial Circuit from 1960 to 1970, and was also a professor of law at

Louisiana State University Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as Louisiana State University (LSU), is an American Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Baton Rouge, Louis ...

from 1967 to 1968. Upon his election to the Third Circuit Court of Appeal, Tate "was the youngest state court of appeal judge ever elected in Louisiana"; he eventually became the senior presiding judge of all the courts of appeal in the state. He served as an associate justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court from 1970 to 1979.

Federal judicial service

Tate was nominated by President

Jimmy Carter James Earl Carter Jr. (October 1, 1924December 29, 2024) was an American politician and humanitarian who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party ...

on July 31, 1979, to the

United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit (in case citations, 5th Cir.) is one of the 13 United States courts of appeals. It has appellate jurisdiction over the U.S. district courts in the following federal judicial districts: ...

, to a new seat created by 92 Stat. 1629. He was confirmed by the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

on October 4, 1979, and received his commission on October 5, 1979. His service was terminated on March 27, 1986, due to his death in

, Louisiana. He was succeeded by Judge

John M. Duhé Jr. John Malcolm Duhé Jr. (April 7, 1933 – May 16, 2025) was a United States circuit judge of the New Orleans–based United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit. Education and career Duhé received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Tula ...

References

Sources

* * "Albert Tate", ''A Dictionary of Louisiana Biography'', Vol. 2 (1988), pp. 780–781 * 1920 births 1986 deaths People from Opelousas, Louisiana People from Ville Platte, Louisiana Lawyers from New Orleans Louisiana Democrats New York Military Academy alumni George Washington University alumni Yale Law School alumni Military personnel from Louisiana United States Army personnel of World War II Louisiana state court judges Justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court Judges of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit United States court of appeals judges appointed by Jimmy Carter 20th-century American lawyers Place of death missing 20th-century American writers Louisiana State University faculty 20th-century American non-fiction writers {{US-federal-judge-stub