Andre Gaudin, Jr. has spent more than 15 years as a New Orleans prosecutor, dedicating his career to making the justice system fairer, smarter, and more accountable. He has tried some of the city’s toughest cases—from violent crime to complex fraud—and earned a reputation for fairness, toughness, and integrity in the courtroom.

As Chief of the Screening Division, Andre leads the unit responsible for reviewing every felony arrest in Orleans Parish. That means tens of thousands of cases each year, each requiring judgment about whether charges move forward, what charges apply, and how best to achieve justice. In this role, he has not only overseen the day-to-day decisions that shape public safety but also driven structural reforms to make the system more responsive to victims, neighborhoods, and police.

When Andre saw that organizing the Screening Division by case type blinded the DA’s Office to the patterns of crime in our neighborhoods, he created the District Screeners Program. That reform streamlined case review while building stronger ties between prosecutors, police districts, neighborhood associations, and faith leaders. What began as a way to move cases more efficiently quickly became a model for smarter justice, ensuring that community voices had a seat at the table.

When Andre saw that neglected New Orleans neighborhoods were being victimized by more than just crime, he worked to bring city services into the fight. The District Screeners Program evolved into NODICE, New Orleans’ first data-driven initiative to coordinate city resources and deliver them to neighborhoods most in need—a program he secured by writing the grant that funded it.

When Andre saw overdoses rising in New Orleans and devastating families, he worked to give the city new tools to respond. He wrote the grant that created the city’s Overdose Fatality Review panel and wrote the laws that authorized Louisiana’s near real-time Overdose Mapping Program (ODMAP), giving law enforcement and health officials the ability to confront the overdose crisis together.

When Andre saw vulnerable defendants trapped in a cycle of arrests and court dates, he expanded mental health diversion programs to break that cycle. He also pushed for innovative tools like Risk Terrain Modeling to help predict and prevent crime more effectively. Every step of the way, he has worked to bridge the gap between the courtroom and the community

Andre is a lifelong New Orleanian and graduate of De La Salle High School. He attended Tulane University for his undergraduate studies and earned his law degree from LSU Law School, where he served as class president. Andre and his wife, Janell, live in Carrollton with their five wonderful daughters. Their family believes deeply in New Orleans and is committed to helping build a city where all children can grow, thrive, and be proud to call home.

Andre’s decade and a half as our public servant has been spent fighting for justice in New Orleans. In that time, he has seen how business as usual at Tulane and Broad—with bloated dockets that deny victims justice and prevent defendants from having their day in court—hurts everyone. Now he needs our support to change that. He will deliver a court that is fair, firm, and focused on justice—the kind of court all New Orleanians can be proud of.