Judicial
Attorney General Jeff Landry is challenging Louisiana public schools and health department
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry challenged public schools and the Louisiana Department of Health on Sept. 24 over COVID-19 case reporting and disciplinary concerns. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry tweeted Thursday that he believes Gov. John Bel Edwards ordered the state health agency “to have schools report specific healthcare information on your child without your […]
Trump reportedly ready to tap Amy Coney Barrett for the Supreme Court
President Donald Trump plans to nominate federal appeals court Judge Amy Coney Barrett to fill the Supreme Court vacancy left by the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, according to several media reports. Barrett, 48, is a judge for the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago, Ill. She was appointed to the position by Trump […]
COMMENTARY: RBG is gone. This is why we fight.
By Susan J. Demas, Editor-in-Chief, Michigan Advance Ruth Bader Ginsburg, best known as a steely champion of women’s equality, gave voice to the voiceless. And as a legendary Supreme Court justice, she was committed to ensuring their rightful place in America until the day she died. We have lost so much as a country during […]
By ordering a pandemic emergency election plan, federal judge does what Kyle Ardoin should have
Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin should have fought for Louisiana voters who demanded a way to cast their ballots in November and December without risking exposure to the novel coronavirus. Louisiana has been hit particularly hard by that virus and continues to lead the country in the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases per capita. […]
Federal judge: Ongoing pandemic means Louisiana must use emergency election plan for November, December elections
Voters who expressed concern that voting in person would put them or their loved ones at risk of getting sick with COVID-19 won a major court victory Wednesday when a federal judge in Baton Rouge ruled that a Republican-supported election plan denying such accommodations imposed an unconstitutional and “undue burden” on the right to vote. […]
Emergency election plan courtroom fight begins with plaintiffs winning a battle
Louisiana voters who say they will be disenfranchised by the state’s absence of a pandemic-related emergency election plan will begin making their case to U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick this morning. But Dick, the chief judge of the federal court in Baton Rouge, issued a ruling yesterday that suggests she’s skeptical of the state’s argument […]
Louisiana Prisons Need To Do More COVID-19 Releases, Advocates Say
The Department of Corrections says there are 9,000 fewer people detained in Louisiana prisons and jails than when the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States in March, but over half of that reduction is the result of changes to how parole violations, immigration infractions and pre-trial detention are handled. There hasn’t been a dramatic change […]
Federal judge sets Sept. 8 hearing regarding Louisiana’s election plans
Louisiana residents who have accused Gov. John Bel Edwards and Louisiana Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin of disregarding their safety by not creating an emergency election plan that will allow them to safely vote will have their day in federal court Sept. 8. Ardoin, a Republican, presented an emergency election plan last week that Republican-led […]
Law school grads will now take ‘open-book’ bar exam
The Louisiana Supreme Court issued an order Wednesday making the state bar exam an “open-book” email test due to the ongoing risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic. The order applies to the next two scheduled Bar exams on Aug. 24 and Oct. 10, according to a Louisiana Supreme Court press release. The bar exam is […]
Legal challenge to Gov. Edwards’ order closing bars is rejected by Baton Rouge judge
A musician, a caterer and two bar owners who asked a Baton Rouge judge to rule against Gov. John Bel Edwards’ emergency order that shuts down bars lost in court Thursday when the judge ruled for Edwards’ administration.“The court is firmly of the opinion that the governor has exercised his power deliberately, on behalf of […]
Governor wins first round in dispute with bar owners, but fight not over
Two federal judges in Louisiana denied motions Friday from a group of bar owners who sought to immediately reopen their establishments against Gov. John Bel Edwards’ coronavirus order that has closed bars limiting them to takeout service. The cases, however, are still pending and set for hearings. The bar owners, represented by attorney Jim Faircloth, […]
Bar owners file federal lawsuit challenging Gov. John Bel Edwards’ order shutting bars down
An attorney who served as executive counsel in former Gov. Bobby Jindal’s administration has filed a federal lawsuit on behalf of eleven bar owners who claim that Gov. John Bel Edwards’ July 11 emergency order limiting bars to takeout and delivery service is unlawful and overly harsh. The lawsuit names Edwards and Fire Marshal Butch […]