Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. was sworn in as the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana on December 13, 2021. Gathe made history as he was named as the first Presidentially nominated Black U.S. Attorney for the Baton Rouge-based Middle District of Louisiana. President Joseph R. Biden announced the nomination of Ronald Gathe for the highest position in the Office of the U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana on November 15, 2021, which the Senate subsequently confirmed by Voice Vote on December 7, 2021. U.S. District Judge Brian Jackson of Baton Rouge administered the oath of Office of Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. as he was officially sworn in as Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official. Newly appointed U.S. Attorney Gathe replaces Ellison Travis, who had been serving as the district’s interim U.S. Attorney succeeding the resignation of Trump-appointed former U.S. Attorney Brandon Fremin at the end of February 2021.
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Educational Background and Bar Admissions
A Louisiana native, U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe, Jr. earned his degree in Bachelor of Science in Accounting from the Xavier University of Louisiana in May 1996. Top Federal Prosecutor Gathe then attended law school at the Southern University Law Center, receiving his Juris Doctorate in May 2000. He was admitted into the Louisiana State Bar Association in May 2001. He was admitted to practice in several courts, including in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern, Western, and Middle Districts of Louisiana, all in April 2001.
Legal Clerkship and Private Practice
While working to receive her license to practice law in the State of Louisiana, U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe served as a Judicial Law Clerk under the Honorable James Best of the Eighteenth Judicial Court from September 2000 until December 2001. As an assistant to the judge, U.S. Attorney Gathe was responsible for various tasks, from legal research to drafting memoranda and court opinions and proofreading to cite checking. During his work in the 18th Judicial District of the Louisiana District Court, Top Federal Prosecutor Gathe managed to establish his legal career in private practice. He founded his law firm – the Law Offices of Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. & Associates, L.L.C. – in May 2001. As a private practitioner, U.S. Attorney Gathe typically handled clients who sought advice relating to corporate law, family law, personal injury, and succession matters. He is able to maintain his law office on top of his duties as a public servant, successfully blooming through the past two decades.
Office of the District Attorney
In January 2002, Top Federal Prosecutor Gathe moved to the Office of the District Attorney for the 19th Judicial District as an Assistant District Attorney in the Office’s Non-Support Division. In this capacity, he began prosecuting defendants charged who failed or refused to pay for child support. After over a year, in June 2003, U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe was appointed as a Felony Assistant. He was then tasked to prosecute defendants charged with felonies, such as aggravated assault, murder, and possession of firearms. U.S. Attorney Gathe remained in this position for approximately seven years, until April 2010. Around that time, he was elevated to the Section Chief, where he was made responsible for jury trials of a broad range of felony crimes, such as homicide, rape, robberies, and other crimes of violence. Prior to being nominated as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Middle District of Louisiana, U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe returned to the Office of the District Attorney for the 18th Judicial District. He served as the district’s Chief of Trials or Litigation Chief, beginning in January 2021. His duties in this position include providing training to the assistant district attorneys and supervising all trials held in the district, which has jurisdiction over the Iberville Parishes, Pointe Coupee, and West Baton Rouge.
Teaching Background
In addition to maintaining his law offices and serving as a prosecutor in the District Attorney’s Offices, Top Federal Prosecutor Ronald Gather also managed to share his knowledge and experience by working as an Adjunct Professor at the Southern University Law Center. From August 2012 through May 2021, U.S. Attorney Gathe taught several classes, including Criminal Law, Criminal Procedure, and Trial Advocacy. While serving as an Adjunct Professor in the Southern University Law Center, U.S. Attorney Gathe was also tasked to supervise the university’s externs at the District Attorney’s Office. With his dedication and outstanding service to the Southern University Law Center, Top Federal Prosecutor Gathe was awarded the honor of Distinguished Alumni in 2016.
Bar Associations and Memberships
As an active member of the legal community, U.S. Attorney Gathe is a part of several associations, including the Baton Rouge Bar Association, the American Bar Association; the Federal Bar Association of New Orleans; and the Louis Martinet Legal Society. As a part of the African-American community, he remains in action in a number of organizations, including serving as Treasurer, Vice President of Membership, and Regional Director of the National Black Prosecutor’s Association since 2010; and as Founder and President of the Louisiana Black Prosecutor’s Association from 2014 to 2016. A man of notable works and services, U.S. Attorney Gathe, has been duly recognized throughout his career. He was awarded Chapter of the Year during his service as President of the Louisiana Black Prosecutors and received the President Special Recognition Award from the National Black Prosecutors Association.
Most Significant Litigated Cases
U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe, Jr. presents a strong line of litigated matters. In 2007, he was handed the case of a defendant who brutally beat a child for urinating on himself. As co-counsel, U.S. Attorney Gathe helped with the case, which resulted in the defendant’s conviction by a unanimous jury for the first-degree murder of a two-year-old child. Among the most significant litigated matters personally prosecuted by Top Federal Prosecutor Gathe is the first human trafficking trial recorded in the 19th Judicial District. He worked on the case as the lead prosecutor, ultimately leading a team of lawyers to prosecute the district’s first-ever human trafficking case. The defendant was sentenced to 15 years without parole for the trafficking of children for sexual purposes, in addition to 20 years without parole for human trafficking and five years without parole for attempted human trafficking. The defendant received a total of 40 years of sentencing in prison.
Having over two decades of experience in prosecution, Top Federal Prosecutor Gathe has worked on an array of cases. Unfortunately, he has also had the chance to prosecute a case involving the death of a fellow attorney in Baton Rouge. The victim was discovered dead in her Office with 31 stab wounds. The defendant charged was reported to be the victim’s husband, who was later found guilty of manslaughter. U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe served as co-counsel on the case, eventually leading to the defendant receiving 40 years of prison without parole.
Office Jurisdiction
The Office of the United States Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana acts on behalf of the United States in litigation in federal court. As Chief of Federal Law Enforcement Official, U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Gathe, Jr. leads the Office in criminal prosecutions and represents the government in civil matters. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Louisiana is headquartered in the Russell B. Long Federal Courthouse in downtown Baton Rouge. All Assistant U.S. Attorneys and Office support personnel remain ever vigilant against terrorism while prosecuting cases of child exploitation, civil rights violations, fraud, and human trafficking and combatting drug trafficking and public corruption, among other federal crimes. Additionally, U.S. Attorney Ronald Gathe oversees the Office as it works to protect the interest of taxpayers by representing the interest of the U.S. government in civil matters and collecting the debts owed to the United States. The role of U.S. Attorney Gathe as the Chief Federal Law Enforcement Official for the Middle District of Louisiana extends beyond supervising and managing the district’s criminal prosecution and civil litigation. It goes as far as to support various outreach programs designed to protect the district’s residents and, ultimately, prevent and reduce recidivism and violence.
Contact Details
Full Name: Ronald C. Gathe, Jr.
District/State: Middle District of Florida
Public email ID: N/A
Russell B. Long Federal Courthouse
U.S. Attorney’s Office
777 Florida Street, Suite 208
Baton Rouge, LA 70801
(225) 389-0443
Main
(225) 389-0561
Fax
(225) 389-0685
Civil Fax
Social Media Profiles of Attorney Gathe
LinkedIn
Username: Ronald Gathe
URL: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ronald-gathe-aa1129204/
Facebook
Username: U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Louisiana
URL: https://www.facebook.com/usaomdal/
YouTube
Username: N/A
URL: N/A
Twitter
Username: U.S. Attorney MDLA
Tag: @MDLAnews
URL: https://twitter.com/MDLAnews
Updated: February 17, 2023