Louisiana under Landry... (1 Viewer)

[nolaspe]

Welp...

Jeff Landry pushes bill that would block public from viewing government records

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, who touted transparency on the campaign trail and in his push to overhaul Louisiana's criminal justice system this year, on Wednesday backed an effort to gut

www.nola.com

Top employees at Louisiana environmental agency resign in clash with leader, an ex-Trump official

They were recently appointed by new Gov. Jeff Landry, but are already quitting their jobs or getting transferred to different departments. Here's a look at the turmoil bubbling up inside the Louisiana DEQ.

www.nola.com

Louisiana House passes 'Don't Say Gay,' pronoun bills aimed at LGBTQ+ community

The chamber passed bills to limit talk of gender identity and sex in schools. Both bills head to the Senate.

www.nola.com

Here is some bonus stuff from scotus...

The Supreme Court effectively abolishes the right to mass protest in three US states

It is no longer safe to organize a protest in Louisiana, Mississippi, or Texas.

www.vox.com

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Trying to make Jindal look competent? Man, that’s a heavy lift.

He's apparently up for the challenge.

 

[bird]

He's apparently up for the challenge.

Yeah, seems to be. What a cluster flock the Republican Party has become.

 

[Optimus Prime]

As he pushed earlier this year to curtail the access Louisiana residents have to public records, Gov. Jeff Landry drew a culinary analogy, saying restaurant patrons don’t need to see where dinner ingredients come from or how a meal is prepared to enjoy it.

Landry complained that public records had been “weaponized to stifle deliberative speech.” His Republican allies in the Legislature moved to carve out a “deliberative process” exemption to allow government officials to have candid conversations with one another about proposed laws and regulations without fear that those communications could become public.

Even as Landry campaigned for the change to the law – which legislators nixed amid public outcry – he already was citing “deliberative process” and “executive privilege” exemptions to deny some records to members of the public. His administration cited those exemptions even though neither of those phrases currently appear in Louisiana’s public records statute.

A review of Landry’s first five months as governor shows that in nearly a quarter of all public-records requests his office fielded, his attorneys withheld records by citing deliberative process or executive privilege. The documents they withheld for those reasons included records related to Landry’s attempts to expand the death penalty, records dealing with the Louisiana National Guard’s deployment to Mexico and records related to Landry’s travel.

In some cases, Landry’s office withheld records by simply citing the state law that generally refers to records of the governor’s office. And in at least one other case, they cited a constitutional right to privacy as a reason for withholding records about a rash of resignations at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

“I can’t see the legal justification for it,” said Steven Procopio, president of Louisiana’s nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Center, after reviewing the requests. “Because they’re doing this in a very broad way and using exemptions that don’t seem to have legal standing, it’s preventing the public’s right to know what their government is doing.”

Terry Ryder, who served as a senior attorney to three former Louisiana governors, said Landry’s administration is essentially daring people to sue.

“You just can’t make up law,” Ryder said. “There’s no such thing as executive privilege or deliberative process privilege if it’s not in law.”

“All the states are connected and there are many actions that state officials take that affect other states,” he said. “Out-of-state entities have a very strong interest in accountability and transparency.”................

Jeff Landry is withholding records from the public by citing an exemption that's not in law

Critics say there's no legal justification for it and that Landry's administration is essentially daring people to sue.

www.nola.com

 

[Taurus]

As he pushed earlier this year to curtail the access Louisiana residents have to public records, Gov. Jeff Landry drew a culinary analogy, saying restaurant patrons don’t need to see where dinner ingredients come from or how a meal is prepared to enjoy it.

Landry complained that public records had been “weaponized to stifle deliberative speech.” His Republican allies in the Legislature moved to carve out a “deliberative process” exemption to allow government officials to have candid conversations with one another about proposed laws and regulations without fear that those communications could become public.

Even as Landry campaigned for the change to the law – which legislators nixed amid public outcry – he already was citing “deliberative process” and “executive privilege” exemptions to deny some records to members of the public. His administration cited those exemptions even though neither of those phrases currently appear in Louisiana’s public records statute.

A review of Landry’s first five months as governor shows that in nearly a quarter of all public-records requests his office fielded, his attorneys withheld records by citing deliberative process or executive privilege. The documents they withheld for those reasons included records related to Landry’s attempts to expand the death penalty, records dealing with the Louisiana National Guard’s deployment to Mexico and records related to Landry’s travel.

In some cases, Landry’s office withheld records by simply citing the state law that generally refers to records of the governor’s office. And in at least one other case, they cited a constitutional right to privacy as a reason for withholding records about a rash of resignations at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

“I can’t see the legal justification for it,” said Steven Procopio, president of Louisiana’s nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Center, after reviewing the requests. “Because they’re doing this in a very broad way and using exemptions that don’t seem to have legal standing, it’s preventing the public’s right to know what their government is doing.”

Terry Ryder, who served as a senior attorney to three former Louisiana governors, said Landry’s administration is essentially daring people to sue.

“You just can’t make up law,” Ryder said. “There’s no such thing as executive privilege or deliberative process privilege if it’s not in law.”

“All the states are connected and there are many actions that state officials take that affect other states,” he said. “Out-of-state entities have a very strong interest in accountability and transparency.”................

Jeff Landry is withholding records from the public by citing an exemption that's not in law

Critics say there's no legal justification for it and that Landry's administration is essentially daring people to sue.

www.nola.com

Just makin' shirt up. Gotta love it. At this point, why even say "Executive privilege" since such a thing doesn't actually exist. Just say "Moon barn potato" or "Crumpet silage".

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

As he pushed earlier this year to curtail the access Louisiana residents have to public records, Gov. Jeff Landry drew a culinary analogy, saying restaurant patrons don’t need to see where dinner ingredients come from or how a meal is prepared to enjoy it.

Landry complained that public records had been “weaponized to stifle deliberative speech.” His Republican allies in the Legislature moved to carve out a “deliberative process” exemption to allow government officials to have candid conversations with one another about proposed laws and regulations without fear that those communications could become public.

Even as Landry campaigned for the change to the law – which legislators nixed amid public outcry – he already was citing “deliberative process” and “executive privilege” exemptions to deny some records to members of the public. His administration cited those exemptions even though neither of those phrases currently appear in Louisiana’s public records statute.

A review of Landry’s first five months as governor shows that in nearly a quarter of all public-records requests his office fielded, his attorneys withheld records by citing deliberative process or executive privilege. The documents they withheld for those reasons included records related to Landry’s attempts to expand the death penalty, records dealing with the Louisiana National Guard’s deployment to Mexico and records related to Landry’s travel.

In some cases, Landry’s office withheld records by simply citing the state law that generally refers to records of the governor’s office. And in at least one other case, they cited a constitutional right to privacy as a reason for withholding records about a rash of resignations at the Louisiana Department of Environmental Quality.

“I can’t see the legal justification for it,” said Steven Procopio, president of Louisiana’s nonpartisan Public Affairs Research Center, after reviewing the requests. “Because they’re doing this in a very broad way and using exemptions that don’t seem to have legal standing, it’s preventing the public’s right to know what their government is doing.”

Terry Ryder, who served as a senior attorney to three former Louisiana governors, said Landry’s administration is essentially daring people to sue.

“You just can’t make up law,” Ryder said. “There’s no such thing as executive privilege or deliberative process privilege if it’s not in law.”

“All the states are connected and there are many actions that state officials take that affect other states,” he said. “Out-of-state entities have a very strong interest in accountability and transparency.”................

Jeff Landry is withholding records from the public by citing an exemption that's not in law

Critics say there's no legal justification for it and that Landry's administration is essentially daring people to sue.

www.nola.com

Republican voters demand less from their elected Republican officials. Could you imagine the outrage from them had Latoya the same thing? Well, you don't have to imagine anything, just turn on the news or google Cantrell.

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

Landry is not the man for Louisianans!

U.S. Rep. Garret Graves, who spent six years as Louisiana’s point man on coastal restoration, says he is worried that parts of Gov. Jeff Landry’s proposed restructuring of the agency in charge of it are rooted in politics instead of science.
“I’ve got major concerns,” Graves, R-Baton Rouge, told The Times-Picayune following a congressional field hearing on the energy sector and coastal restoration on Friday in Thibodaux. "I'm concerned that some of the changes are based upon politics rather than based upon merit and science."


Soon after assuming office, Landry aimed to ease operations for the oil and gas industry. The governor issued an executive order to consider merging the Coastal Protection and Restoration Authority with the Department of Energy and Natural Resources. The proposed change is part of a broader restructuring effort described as a way to streamline permitting and state government processes, but some coastal advocates worry that the move could jeopardize CPRA’s slate of coastal projects.

'Major concerns' over Jeff Landry's proposed changes to Louisiana coastal agency, Garret Graves says

Graves, who previously served as the state's point man on coastal restoration, joins others expressing concern over Gov. Jeff Landry's approach.

www.nola.com

 

[GrandAdmiral]

Landry is not the man for Louisianans!

'Major concerns' over Jeff Landry's proposed changes to Louisiana coastal agency, Garret Graves says

Graves, who previously served as the state's point man on coastal restoration, joins others expressing concern over Gov. Jeff Landry's approach.

www.nola.com

I love Garrett Graves, but he needs to shut up. He had every opportunity to run against Landry (and put up a good showing). Instead, he backed someone who didn't have a chance at winning and as retribution has lost his congressional seat.

 

[superchuck500]

Landry: The Bill of Rights doesn’t apply to laws passed by a majority.

 

[UriUT]

Landry: The Bill of Rights doesn’t apply to laws passed by a majority.

He received 550k votes in a low turnout gov race. There are 1 million registered democratic voters. Apathy and disillusion is how these authoritarian wins. Our votes are our power and we choose not to show up.

Election Results 2023: Lowest turnout in more than 20 years

Voter turnout was lower than it has been in more than 20 years; about 18 percent of Louisiana's registered voters picked the new governor

www.katc.com

If you look at how many eligible voters there are, Landry's percent drops even more. It's estimated that there are 3,463,372 people in Louisiana who are eligible to vote. His 547,827 votes are only 16 percent of that number.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

There are 1 million registered democratic voters.

Unfortunately, there are a good bit of true DINOs in Louisiana. They will never switch party, yet they always vote Republican.

 

[UriUT]

Unfortunately, there are a good bit of true DINOs in Louisiana. They will never switch party, yet they always vote Republican.

I get that, but there still 700k registered black voters. Moreover, we had a democratic governor for two terms before Landry. There was a push back against Landry even among Republicans. The inevitability mentality, however, won the day. That and the low turnout, considering the polling date and other voter suppression mechanism.

Ps, I didn't mean to take away from chuck's post about landry's ridiculous notion that a majority can simply infringe upon the Bill of Rights. We need more years of civics classes.

 

[GrandAdmiral]

We need more years of civics classes.

Is civics still a thing?

 

[LA - L.A.]

Is civics still a thing?

Civics proficiency has been a problem for way too long. Here's an overview.

Forgotten Purpose: Civics Education in Public Schools | NEA

Research into this long-neglected corner of the curriculum reveals surprising misconceptions about civics, and the promise it holds for student achievement.

www.nea.org

 

[DJ1BigTymer]

This forking guy is determined to finish what Jindal started and this time there won't be a viable D to clean up this mess.

Louisiana leaders discussing election integrity ahead of presidential election

The news conference will be held at the Louisiana Capitol, where he will also sign an executive order to maintain integrity in the electoral process and protect the accuracy of voter rolls.

www.wdsu.com

 

[Optimus Prime]

I guess this can go here
=================

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams promised to address the city’s history of prosecutorial and police misconduct when he was elected four years ago, but now he’s facing an investigation by Republican politicians who are concerned he is abusing his power.

Williams, a Black Democrat in an overwhelmingly conservative state, replaced a hard-nosed, tough-on-crime incumbent when he was elected in 2020. Since then, he’s focused on responding to what he describes as the “sins of the past” in New Orleans, and in a state which has one of the highest incarceration rates in the country. Conservative lawmakers and officials are concerned he is arbitrarily putting people convicted of violent crimes back on the streets given the state’s high homicide rates in recent years.

Over the past three years, Williams’ office reports having voided convictions or reduced sentences in several hundred cases via a process known as post-conviction relief that allows the court to consider new evidence after all other appeals have been exhausted. The landmark civil rights division of Williams’ office has reviewed old cases, leading to exonerations and plea-deal releases based on constitutional violations or legal practices his office considers unjust. Critics point out post-conviction relief was employed sparingly in the past by the district attorney’s office.

Williams has agreed to appear before a state senate committee on Sept. 5 over his office’s use of post-conviction relief.

A new law passed by a Republican-dominated Legislature earlier this year went into effect in August, effectively stripping Williams of his ability to engage in post-conviction relief without the approval of the Republican Attorney General. But state legislators had previously enacted a law in 2021 allowing district attorneys to amend sentences, even in cases without clear legal error, through post-conviction plea agreements with approval from judges.

Since 2021, Williams’ office reports as of late May having voided more than 140 convictions and reduced sentences in at least 180 cases, often re-sentencing them to lesser charges.

Conservative lawmakers have expressed concern that Williams’ office has been acting without transparency. Attorney General Liz Murrill said she is taking a “close look” at these cases and warned that convictions should not be changed “simply because the district attorney has a difference of opinion” from the courts and Legislature.

Williams is part of a wave of more than 50 progressive prosecutors who in the past decade have sought to reduce incarceration rates and review past cases where constitutional violations or excessive sentencing may have occurred. These prosecutors have more often faced blowback from ideological opponents at the state level than from the voters who elected them, typically in liberal cities with large Black populations, said Rebecca Goldstein, a law professor at the University of California, Berkeley.

The concerns raised by Louisiana officials are largely in response to a social media campaign driven by Laura Rodrigue, a former prosecutor and daughter of the previous district attorney. Her advocacy group Bayou Mama Bears has warned Williams is endangering public safety and highlighted instances where his office resentenced or released people convicted of violent crimes.............

District attorney's progressive policies face blowback from Louisiana's conservative Legislature

New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams promised to address the city's history of prosecutorial and police misconduct.

apnews.com

 

[GrandAdmiral]

All the shirt going wrong in this state and this is what these forkers are worried about...

Louisiana leaders discuss getting a second live tiger to bring to LSU football games

Louisiana Surgeon General has put forward a solution to address LSU’s reluctance to bring its live tiger mascot to football games.

www.fox8live.com

 

[efil4]

i will leave this state once im retired.

Its inevitable. Born and raised here and i gotta deal with dumb shirt like this?