Louisiana politics from The Daily Signal, covering state legislation, energy policy, disaster response, and the Pelican State’s unique political culture and economic challenges.
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Pro-Life Leaders React to Louisiana Abortion Pill Ruling
A federal judge in Louisiana ruled that the Food and Drug Administration must provide a status report on its safety review of the abortion pill within six months. The judge also found that a challenge to the policy of allowing abortion pills to be shipped through the mail has standing and is likely to succeed…
Consent Decree Marks Final Defeat of ‘Orwellian’ Biden ‘Censorship Regime’
During the COVID-19 pandemic, federal health agencies and the White House under President Joe Biden pressured social media companies to censor speech that contradicted the federal government’s narrative, but two Republican attorneys general secured a consent decree Tuesday that will prevent the government from returning to that “Orwellian” strategy. “It was absolutely Orwellian,” Louisiana Attorney…
Free Enterprise and National Security Under Attack From Louisiana Governor and For-Profit Trial Lawyers
On April 4, a Plaquemines Parish, Louisiana, jury delivered a remarkable verdict: Chevron was ordered to pay $744 million in damages for purported coastal degradation associated with oil production dating back to World War II. While environmentalists and local government bureaucrats are celebrating what they perceive as an economic boon, others of us see a…
Federal Judge Strikes Down Louisiana Law Mandating Ten Commandments in Classrooms as ‘Unconstitutional’
DAILY CALLER NEWS FOUNDATION—A federal judge on Tuesday temporarily halted a Louisiana mandate requiring public schools in the state to display the Ten Commandments in every classroom by Jan. 1, deeming the law “unconstitutional on its face.” U.S. District Court Judge John W. deGravelles in Baton Rouge ruled that the statute had a clear religious…
Want to Pay in Cryptocurrency? In Louisiana, Now You Can
In a move toward modern financial practices, Louisiana residents can now pay for state services using cryptocurrency. “Louisiana has always, I think, lagged behind other states when it comes to doing things that are in modern commerce,” Louisiana state Treasurer John Fleming says, adding that he hopes to change that. Cryptocurrency is “going to have…
Louisiana AG Defends Constitutionality of Ten Commandments in Schools
The Louisiana law requiring schools to display the Ten Commandments is constitutional, state Attorney General Liz Murrill argues in a legal brief filed this week. House Bill 71 made Louisiana the first state to require public universities and K-12 schools to display the Ten Commandments after Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, signed it into law on…
‘Abuse of Power’: Louisiana Officials Urge Legal Challenges to Biden’s Title IX Change
The Biden administration’s new Title IX rule allowing males to participate in women’s sports and share women-only spaces is an “abuse of power” violating the safety and order of society, Louisiana State Superintendent of Education Cade Brumley says. “I choose to stand for girls and women in our state, as discrimination has no home under…
Education freedom is on the march. Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry on Wednesday signed legislation making the Pelican State the 19th state in the nation to enact K-12 Education Savings Accounts or an ESA-style policy, and the 11th to offer education choice to every K-12 student, following Alabama earlier this year. The legislation creates the Louisiana Giving All True Opportunity…
Louisiana Set to Become 8th State to Adopt a ‘Given Name Act.’ Here’s What That Means for Parents, Children.
Louisiana lawmakers have said it once, twice, and now a third time: Sex is a physical reality, not a feeling. President Joe Biden’s administration wants to redefine sex to mean “gender” in federal law, which would force schools to allow boys to use girls’ restrooms and participate in female athletics. Louisiana officials have issued letters…
Lawmakers Must Protect Civil Rights as Louisiana Universities Hold Fast to Discrimination via DEI
Neuroscientists interested in teaching at Tulane University in Louisiana must be board-certified or eligible to apply for a medical license as well as skilled in neurocritical care. All are standard requirements for a postsecondary position. But read the fine print: Applicants also have to commit to Tulane’s statement on diversity, equity, and inclusion, or DEI,…
Election Integrity Wins in Louisiana, Georgia, North Carolina, and Tennessee, but Trouble Brews in Pennsylvania
With many eyes focused on the 2024 presidential election, issues of election integrity are again coming to the forefront of the national conversation, as they should. Without fair, honest, and secure elections, we can’t sustain our democratic republic. Because the Framers of our Constitution placed primary responsibility on the states to administer and set out the…
‘School Choice for Me but Not for Thee’: New Report Reveals Backroom Deals Between Teachers Unions and Louisiana Schools
A new report published by the Pelican Institute, a Louisiana think tank, reveals a series of detrimental, hypocritical, and possibly illegal deals brokered between teachers unions and several public school systems—including clauses giving teachers who have kids school choice opportunities that other parents can’t access. Six Louisiana school systems and two New Orleans charter schools…
Louisiana Overrides Dem Governor to Ban ‘Transgender’ Surgeries, Puberty Blockers for Minors
Louisiana has become the 20th state to protect minors from irreversible “transgender” procedures, including surgeries and cross-sex hormone injections, over the veto of its Democratic governor. Members of the state Legislature assembled in a special veto override session in Baton Rouge Tuesday to pass the Stop Harming Our Kids Act (HB 648), which prevents surgical…
Louisiana Bill Would Ban K-12 Classroom Discussion of Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity
New Louisiana legislation would ban public school teachers and personnel from discussing sexual orientation and gender identity with students from kindergarten through the end of high school. That's not all. Republican Louisiana state Rep. Dodie Horton's HB 466 would also prevent teachers from discussing their own sexual orientation or gender identity with students or using…
Biden ‘Disinformation’ Board Gives Ammo to Court Action on Big Tech Censorship, Louisiana AG Says
The Biden administration’s formation of a “disinformation” board has sparked momentum for two states to sue the U.S. government, alleging pressure and collusion with Big Tech corporations to censor political content that challenges the government line. “If we would’ve tried to bring this lawsuit two or three months ago, I think they would’ve laughed us…
Louisiana Attorney General Fights Biden’s Vaccine Mandates: ‘It’s About Controlling You’
President Joe Biden’s sweeping COVID-19 vaccine mandates are facing a slew of lawsuits from states and private employers. Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is leading the charge against three of those mandates, already securing one favorable decision while awaiting action on the other two. Landry joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to discuss Biden’s mandates and…
‘I’m Not Anti-Vaccine. I Am Anti-Mandate,’ Says Louisiana Grocer Fighting Biden Decree
President Joe Biden’s vaccine mandate is an “extreme burden on the American people,” says the grocery store owner at the center of a major anti-mandate lawsuit. “I’m not an anti-vaxxer,” Brandon Trosclair, the second-generation owner of a Louisiana-based grocery store chain, said in an interview with The Daily Signal. “I'm not anti-vaccine. I am anti-mandate….
Louisiana Congressman Gets COVID-19 for Second Time
Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., said Sunday that he, his wife, and his son all tested positive for COVID-19. “I have COVID, Becca has COVID, my son has COVID,” Higgins wrote on Facebook, adding that he and his wife had already tested positive for the virus early in 2020. “Becca and I have had COVID before, early…
In Louisiana, Legislators Fall Short of Saving Women’s Sports
Louisiana legislators fell heartbreakingly short of protecting girls and women in sports on Wednesday. In a 68-to-30 vote, the Louisiana House of Representatives narrowly missed the 70 votes needed to override Democrat Gov. John Bel Edwards’ veto of the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, which would have protected female athletes from being forced to compete…
Louisiana Teacher: Why I Spoke Out Against Pushing Gender Ideology
Louisiana high school teacher Jonathan Koeppel spoke out recently against the gender identity ideology being promoted at his school. A video of his remarks at a school board meeting quickly went viral. During the meeting in April, Koeppel played an audio clip for the school board from an education app the school uses, called “BrainPOP,” in…