The Hon. Jason A. Dagate is a judge for the 32nd Judicial District Court of Louisiana in Terrebonne Parish. He was elected to the bench in 2020, filling the vacancy created by the retirement of the Hon. John R. Walker.
Dagate received a bachelor’s degree in business management from Nicholls State University in 2003. He then completed a J.D. at Southern University Law Center in 2006. While a law student, Dagate clerked for the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office.
He began his legal career as an assistant district attorney in Terrebonne Parish. During his tenure there, Dagate was first assistant district attorney, the prosecutor for the Drug Court, the chief of Trials, and the director of the District Attorney’s Project LEAD Program. His caseload included homicides, drug racketeering, sexual abuse, and violent crimes, and he was an instructor for the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and the Professionals in Pre-trial Services Association.
In addition to his work as a local prosecutor, Dagate handled civil matters in private practice alongside his father, Jimmy Dagate, and brother, Jacob. At the firm, he was tasked with representing local businesses, public entities, and families. Dagate was also a former co-counsel for the Terrebonne Levee and Conservation District, Houma-Terrebonne Housing Authority, and Terrebonne Economic Development Authority.
He was appointed by the Louisiana Supreme Court to serve as a member of the Louisiana Commission on Civic Education in 2022. In addition, Dagate served on the Judges in the Classroom/Students in the Courtroom Task Force and was an instructor for the Louisiana State Bar Association on the subject of professionalism.
He is registered as a Republican.