Residents file lawsuit challenging Louisiana constitutional amendments
Two teachers and a pastor filed a lawsuit on Monday that challenges the constitutionality of the proposed changes to the Louisiana State Constitution in the form of House Bill 7, which is slated for the March 29, 2025, ballot.
Amending Louisiana's lengthy constitution was at the top of Governor Landry's agenda, and during a Legislative Special Tax Session in November 2024, HB 7 was passed. At the time, many in the legislature and others familiar with Louisiana politics decried what they believed was a rushed attempt by the governor and business entities to rewrite the state's governing document without a Constitutional Convention. The current version of the Louisiana Constitution was drafted over a three-year period during the 1970s.
Teen's medical abortion puts Louisiana, New York leaders at odds as Landry signs doctor's extradition order
According to the complaint, the governor's attempt at a constitutional convention was blocked by Republicans in the legislature. However, the governor used a special tax session in the fall to push HB7, which the three plaintiffs say will 'dramatically alter the constitution' with a wide range of disjointed alterations.
The lawsuit highlights several issues with the amendment which is more than 100 pages including:
Narrowing constitutional protections for church and union property
Limiting local control over sale taxes
Liquidating several education trust funds
Deleting a fund supporting infant mortality programs
Changing gendered pronouns in the constitution
Potentially increasing taxes on take-out food
Removing constitutional authorization for farmers and fishermen's programs
According to the lawsuit, these changes are condensed into a one-sentence question that will appear on the March 29 ballot.
The plaintiffs also point out that the ballot language contradicts the true meaning of the language in the amendment. They cite claims verbiage within the amendment would 'provide a permanent teacher salary increase,' however, the plaintiffs said, 'no teacher will be paid any more than they currently are due to this potential amendment, and some teachers may be paid less.'
The plaintiffs are represented by Attorney William Most of Most & Associates a New Orleans-based law firm.
'Democracy only works if state officials are transparent with voters about what they are being asked to vote on. This proposed amendment flunks the basic honesty test,' Most said in a news release announcing the suit.
Read the full lawsuit below:
2025-2-17-Petition-for-Injunctive-ReliefDownload
The belief of the three residents bringing the lawsuit is that the ballot language fails to communicate the range of changes to the constitution that voters may find unappealing including eliminating constitutional protection for early childcare, STEM initiatives, and dyslexia training, programs that would impact more than 26K Louisiana students if the amendment passes.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Press
2 days ago
- American Press
Jim Beam column:Talking on phone doesn't cut it
Public meetings are just that. They are always supposed to be open to the public. Some years ago, I asked a member of the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury how they managed to avoid controversial public meetings. It's no problem, he said, because they just discussed those issues over the phone. I was surprised Sunday when I read a story in The Advocate about Republican Gov. Jeff Landry's LA DOGE work and its leader said the group no longer meets and just 'talk on the phone as needed.' First, some background. LA DOGE is Landry's copy of President Donald Trump's Department of Government Efficiency that was led by billionaire Elon Musk who paraded around with a chainsaw to show he was cutting government by firing people and gutting programs. Landry asked his friend and businessman Steve Orlando to become the state's 'Fiscal Responsibility Czar.' Orlando, who is a volunteer, built a major business providing services to oil and gas companies. The two men say the goal of Louisiana's DOGE isn't slashing government jobs or services. It's using a business-minded approach to help agencies use taxpayer dollars wisely. The effort is primarily directed at the Louisiana Department of Health, the largest agency that gets $3.2 billion in state general funds and $16.4 billion from the federal government. One of its major successes, according to the health department and not from a public meeting, so far has saved the state $73 million. It did that by finding out when Medicaid recipients had moved out of state. The newspaper said at LA DOGE's urging the health department in April began using Office of Motor Vehicles data to help get those people off the Medicaid rolls. Mike Waguespack, Louisiana's legislative auditor, who is working closely with LA DOGE, said, 'We're tickled to death that the governor has really pushed his folks to dust off these reports and implement the recommendations that this office has given to the executive branch.' LA DOGE is also trying to transform the state Department of Children and Family Services, which has needed changes for much too long because of job losses dating back to when Bobby Jindal was governor. Orlando said savings at the state technology office have saved $4.5 million so far. He is also working with the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and the health department to use AI to detect Medicaid fraud. It's the first we've heard about the ULL plan. Like most Louisianans, Orlando said, 'I just want to know that when I pay my taxes, my money is actually being put to good use.' The success so far is commendable, but the fact remains that what LA DOGE is doing is public business and the public deserves to know how and when it is achieving success. We only know about these latest savings because Landry or Orlando told us that is what they have done. Meeting by telephone isn't the answer. It's dodging the state's public meetings and public records laws. State government is a business and taxpayers are the stockholders. They want to read about DOGE having meetings open to the public. Steven Procopio, president of the Louisiana Public Affairs Research Council, said, 'They (Landry and Orlando) are making plans about how state spending should be done. That is state tax dollars, and so therefore, the citizens have a right to be involved in that process, or at least to be informed (at public meetings and not just by their reports about what is happening). The Advocate said transparency experts said DOGE is subject to open meetings laws, which require a 'public body' to give notice of meetings that the public can attend. Bruce Hamilton, a civil rights attorney, said, 'The fiscal responsibility program (LA DOGE) looks like a public body, acts like a public body and functions like a public body. So to me, it's a public body, and it has to follow legal requirements for a public body, including holding open meetings.' Yes, and here is why Landry has a free hand in running state government by his rules and not by open meetings laws: When he was elected On Oct. 14, 2023, 1,904,669 Louisiana voters (63.7%) stayed home. Jim Beam, the retired editor of the American Press, has covered people and politics for more than six decades. Contact him at 337-515-8871 or
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Chuck Gray polls his odds as Wyoming governor or U.S. representative
CHEYENNE — Wyoming Secretary of State Chuck Gray said he is 'exploring' the option to run for governor of Wyoming or for Wyoming's sole seat in the U.S. House of Representatives, saying he has been 'strongly encouraged' to run, though no official announcements have been made. It is unlikely Gray would challenge Harriet Hageman in the gubernatorial race, after an internal poll from Cygnal in January suggests she would have a strong run in Wyoming, or in the congressional race if she sought reelection for her House seat in Washington, D.C. The potential bid for a higher elected seat was highlighted Tuesday when Gray released his own internal polling, conducted by Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, weighing his odds in either of the two elections. Tony Fabrizio, the principal in Fabrizio, Lee & Associates, is a Republican pollster who has conducted polls for candidates over the past several decades, most notably including Donald Trump's 2016 and 2024 presidential campaigns, former Sen. Bob Dole's 1996 presidential campaign, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul's 2016 presidential campaign and former Texas Gov. Rick Perry's 2012 presidential campaign. As of 2023, Fabrizio was running the polling operations for the MAGA Inc. super PAC. Although the election for both races is not until late 2026, the polling Gray released shows potential leads in both elections. The poll was conducted by surveying 500 Wyoming voters registered as Republicans from July 15 to July 17 of this year across different demographic groups including race, age, location, education and a 50/50 split between male and female voters. The first question in the poll gauged name recognition. It included the names of six Wyoming politicians whose names are in the mix. The list includes Wyoming Sen. Eric Barlow, R-Gillette; Wyoming Senate President Bo Biteman, R-Ranchester; Wyoming Superintendent of Public Instruction Megan Degenfelder; Gray; Speaker of the Wyoming House of Representatives Chip Neiman, R-Hulett; and Sen. Cheri Steinmetz, R-Torrington. Fabrizio's poll found that Gray had the greatest name recognition at 73% who had heard of him, followed by Degenfelder at 46%. The rest of the names were in the 40% range, with Steinmetz on the bottom at 38%. Additionally, survey respondents were asked how favorably they feel about each candidate on the list. Of those who responded to this part of the question, Degenfelder topped the list with 62% of those who recognized her name feeling favorably about her, and Gray falling to fourth on the list at 55%. Biteman was the lowest at 45%. The following question concerned the gubernatorial race only, asking who voters would elect if they were to cast their vote that day. In addition to the previous six names, the names on the list also included Republican Brent Bien, who lost the Republican primary race for governor to sitting Gov. Mark Gordon by a significant margin in 2022; Wyoming Senate Majority Leader Tara Nethercott, R-Cheyenne; and Wyoming State Treasurer Curt Meier. A majority of respondents, 56%, said they were undecided. The same question for U.S. Congress also left a majority undecided, this time at 58%. However, Gray had the highest amount of support at 12% for governor and at 16% for Congress, with second place falling to 6% each for Barlow and Bien and 7% to Nethercott in each race, respectively. Next, the survey informed the respondents of Gray's support for President Donald Trump, noting he believes in Trump's political policies and has previously been endorsed by him in his bid for Secretary of State. This notice increased Gray's standing in the poll. Though he has not announced his bid for any races in Wyoming next year and Trump has not endorsed any candidates, it has proven to be a powerful endorsement in local and statewide elections across the country. This was showcased in Wyoming in 2022 when then-former President Trump endorsed Hageman over incumbent Liz Cheney for a seat in the House of Representatives, which ultimately became one of the large factors leading to Cheney's defeat by more than 30 points in the GOP primary. The poll does not include Cheyenne Republican Joseph Kibler, who has announced a bid for governor, or former U.S. Senate candidate Reid Rasner, who has filed a campaign finance account for governor but has yet to announce his candidacy. It also omits Hageman and Gordon. Both of their decisions going forward will be influential in determining whether potential candidates run and in which race they choose to run in. Though Gordon is concluding his second and final term in 2027, there are still options should he choose to seek reelection. In 2013, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled that the term limits on the top elected positions in the state were unconstitutional but omitted the governor's terms from the ruling. This means Gordon could seek to amend the constitution in a court challenge if he wanted to seek a third term. It is unclear whether that challenge would be successful. A July report from Morning Consult, which conducts many surveys every day asking registered U.S. voters in all 50 states if they approve or disapprove of their governor's job performance, found that Gordon had the third-highest governor approval rating among all 50 governors. When contacted Tuesday, the governor's office told the WTE in a statement that 'at this time, the Governor's focus remains on this term, and the work Wyoming's people elected him to do.' Gray told the WTE in a text message Tuesday that the law is clear that Gordon could not seek a third term. 'It would be deeply troubling for Gordon to make another power play by trying to challenge a commonsense conservative term limits law that the people of Wyoming supported by large margins,' he wrote, referencing a 1992 ballot initiative implementing a new term limit law. In 2004, the Wyoming Supreme Court ruled this term limit law unconstitutional under the state constitution.
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Yahoo
Independent Party won't be recognized in Louisiana starting Aug. 1: What to know
BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — Voters who are registered as Independent will get a notice about their party affiliation changing to 'No Party,' as it will no longer be recognized as a political party in Louisiana starting Aug. 1. Secretary of State Nancy Landry said the Independent Party will stop existing after lawmakers approved the change during the 2025 regular legislative session. She explained the change in Act 84 prepares the state to transition to a Closed Party Primary system, which was created in a 2024 special legislative session. Starting in 2026, only voters who are registered as Democrat, Republican or 'No Party' can vote in Closed Party Primaries. The change impacts elections for: U.S. Senate U.S. House Louisiana Supreme Court Public Service Commission Board of Elementary and Secondary Education 'Many Louisiana voters who are registered as Independents mistakenly believe they are unaffiliated with any political party, when in fact they are members of the Independent Party,' Landry said. 'This proactive change will allow voters formerly registered as Independents to participate in Closed Party Primaries next year, preventing voter confusion while maximizing participation.' Louisiana Secretary of State appointed as protocol officer How voters can check their registration Voters who are impacted can expect to get notices in the mail about their political affiliation automatically changing to 'No Party,' along with a new voter information card. While no action is required by voters, Landry encourages residents to check their voter registration in the GeauxVote portal or app. Click here to log in to GeauxVote. Latest News Bubba Wallace becomes first Black driver to win a major race on Indianapolis' oval 3 hurt, 1 in critical condition after head-on crash in Baton Rouge, officials say Family mourns 4 relatives who died in NC crash, thanks good Samaritan who helped rescue 5th: 'A blessing' Louisiana bans handheld phone use while driving starting Aug. 1 Riverboat cruises have brunch, cocktails and scenic views of downtown Baton Rouge Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
