By Christopher Tidmore Contributing Writer Monday evenings, early in the Legislative Regular Session, are usually relaxed occasions for conversation and crawfish. On April 8, the tables were set up in the Pentagon Barracks courtyard for just that, mere steps from the Capitol Building. Crawdads, shrimp, vats of lima bean succotash and pastas, strawberry shortcake and extensive libations were waiting by 5 p.m., the time the La. House normally adjourns for the day at that point in the session. Yet, there were no legislators to be found. By the time that they arrived two hours later, looking b ..read more

By Christopher Timider Contributing Writer A political cartoon once displayed a man walking into a library and asking, “Do you have a copy of the Louisiana Constitution?” The librarian replied, “I’m sorry, sir; we don’t carry periodicals.” From its enactment in 1974 to the present, the Louisiana State Constitution has grown to over 72,000 words, with voters approving 203 amendments to the original document. By contrast, the U.S. Constitution, which was ratified in 1789, contains 7,500 words and has only been amended twenty-seven times in 235 years. Perhaps a better parochial example comes ..read more

By Julie O’Donoghue Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) — State Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, has raised more than $600,000 for his congressional bid since announcing his campaign in late January, according to a federal campaign finance report filed on Thursday, April 4. Fields is running in Louisiana’s newly-redrawn 6th Congressional district, which stretches from Baton Rouge to Shreveport, picking up portions of Alexandria and Lafayette. It’s the second and newest majority-Black seat on the state’s Congressional map, which Fields and his colleagues in the state Legislature approve ..read more

By Wesley Muller Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) — Louisiana’s top election official wants to restrict how voters can obtain and submit forms to request absentee ballots, along with limits on who may assist voters with the ballots themselves. Secretary of State Nancy Landry is behind what she’s called an “election integrity legislative package,” although she and her predecessor, Kyle Ardoin, have affirmed Louisiana has not seen any instances of widespread voter fraud. One of the proposals in Landry’s package is Senate Bill 218, sponsored by Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, R-Port Allen. It w ..read more

By Wesley Muller Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) — Louisiana lawmakers have filed legislation that would make it harder to vote by mail, particularly for elderly shut-ins and people with disabilities, just as record numbers cast ballots on Saturday (Mar. 9), the first day of early voting in the state’s March 23 presidential primary election. Since Louisiana adopted early voting almost 20 years ago, it has steadily grown in popularity. The coronavirus pandemic created a surge in mail-in voting that continues to increase, according to Baton Rouge pollster John Couvillon. Saturday saw ..read more

By Julie O’Donoghue Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) — A proposal to move Louisiana’s public defender system under the governor’s direct control has alarmed attorneys, local defense attorneys and retired judges. Critics describe the proposition as a power grab by the sitting state public defender, Rémy Starns, who has clashed with the Louisiana state public defender board that oversees his office. “It certainly has his fingerprints all over it,” said Frank Neuner, a Lafayette attorney and a former chairman of the public defender board from 2008 to 2012. Senate Bill 8, sponsored by S ..read more

By Piper Hutchison Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) — A group of non-Black voters have challenged Louisiana’s new congressional maps, alleging the new majority-Black district violates their rights. The 12 plaintiffs in the case, Callais v. Landry, contend the map passed and signed into law after a five-day special legislative session at the direction of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry constitutes an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and violates the 14th and 15th amendments of the U.S. Constitution. “The State has engaged in explicit, racial segregation of voters and intentional discr ..read more

By Piper Hutchison Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) — State Sen. Cleo Fields, D-Baton Rouge, will run for Congress in the newly redrawn 6th Congressional District, he announced on January 23. Fields previously served in the U.S. House from 1993-1997 when Louisiana had two majority Black seats, but what was then the 4th Congressional District was ruled an unconstitutional racial gerrymander and thrown out. Louisiana had just one majority Black district until Monday (Jan. 22), when Gov. Jeff Landry signed a bill into law that turned the 6th District, currently held by Baton Rouge-base ..read more

By Christopher Tidmore Contributing Writer The whole point of the La. Legislature’s drawing of a second African-American majority district which stretched from Baton Rouge to Shreveport (closely resembling one ruled an unconstitutional “gerrymander” almost three decades ago) was to protect Rep. Julia Letlow. Now, it might put her political future in danger. Rep. Garrett Graves could easily run against her – and would have a good chance of winning. Forty-three percent of Graves’ current 6th District was drawn two weeks ago into Letlow’s U.S. House seat. It created for her the curious situat ..read more

By Greg LaRose Contributing Writer (lailluminator.com) – A proposal to add another majority-Black district to the seven elected Louisiana Supreme Court seats advanced in the state legislature last Thursday, but the process revealed continued differences among the justices the map would impact. Associate Justice William Crain appeared before the Senate and Governmental Affairs Committee to support House Bill 8, a proposal from Rep. Mike Johnson, R-Pineville. The Johnson bill reflects a map Crain and four other associate justices submitted last month to then Gov.-elect Jeff Landry, Attorney ..read more