Michael Carroll News
Landry intervenes in D.C. lawsuit opposing Gulf of Mexico oil lease sale
A federal court this month ruled in favor of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry’s motion to intervene in a case that pits environmental groups against the Biden administration’s effort to move forward with an offshore oil and gas lease sale.
Fairness, competition sought as Louisiana kicks off redistricting process
Louisiana lawmakers launched the once-every-decade redistricting process last week during a joint legislative meeting as interest groups pressed for districts that are more racially representative and competitive.
Louisiana energy producers see congressional oil industry probe as partisan attack
Louisiana’s energy industry sees a congressional probe into whether oil companies have minimized the effects of fossil fuel burning on climate change as a partisan attack against companies working to revive the U.S. economy.
George Strickler, longtime civil rights attorney and law professor, dies in New Orleans
A former Tulane Law School professor who spent the better part of his life working to end racial and gender discrimination around the South has died at his New Orleans home after a long illness.
Biden's private-industry vaccine mandates seen as threat to state's economic health
Louisiana business groups are pushing back on the Biden administration’s plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccinations for employees of businesses that have 100 or more workers on their payrolls.
Federal judge sides with shrimpers, delays enforcement of sea turtle protection rule
A federal district judge has delayed enforcement of a National Marine Fisheries Service rule aimed at protecting endangered sea turtles, saying that it would have created economic havoc in Louisiana’s shrimp industry.
Louisiana judge faces disciplinary hearing amid efforts to boost judicial transparency
A recent announcement that a Louisiana district court judge will face a November hearing on unethical conduct during a 2018 election campaign is evidence that the state is making some progress on increasing judicial transparency.
Federal lawsuit calls on EPA to regulate PVC as toxic substance
An environmental group is suing the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency over its failure to regulate polyvinyl chloride, or PVC, as a toxic material – a position that is being challenged by plastics manufacturers in Louisiana and elsewhere.
Church's parent group sues to stop Baton Rouge mixed-use development
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has filed a lawsuit in state court objecting to the approval of a mixed-use development in Baton Rouge near a local temple.
BLS data shows federal jobless benefit cutoff has mixed results
New economic data is raising questions about the effectiveness of policies in states such as Louisiana that cut off federal COVID-19 jobless benefits as a way to encourage people to return to the workforce.
Biden administration backpedals on oil and gas leasing ban
The Biden administration moved this week to resume the process of leasing oil and gas tracts in the Gulf of Mexico and onshore in the United States in the wake of a federal judge’s preliminary injunction against a Jan. 27 executive order.
Louisiana earns spot on 'Everlasting Judicial Hellholes' list
Louisiana this month earned a spot on the American Tort Reform Foundation’s “Everlasting Judicial Hellholes” list, placing the Pelican State among seven jurisdictions that were cited for chronic civil justice problems.
Environmental review ordered for stalled plastics project in St. James Parish
The Army Corps of Engineers ordered a comprehensive environmental impact review of the proposed Formosa Plastics project in St. James Parish this month, a development that the petrochemical project’s opponents called a legal victory.
Medical students win restraining order against Monroe college's vaccine policy
Three students have won a temporary restraining order (TRO) blocking a Monroe medical school from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccination policy, even though the college granted them religious exemptions from the policy.
Plaintiffs appeal Baton Rouge trial judge's decision on resuming federal jobless benefits
Attorneys for plaintiffs alleging that Louisiana’s termination of federal unemployment benefits under the American Recovery Plan was a violation of state and federal law have appealed a trial court’s denial of their request for an injunction.
Lawsuit argues federal rule poses threat to Louisiana shrimpers' livelihoods
Attorney General Jeff Landry is suing the National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) and other federal agencies, arguing that a new rule to protect sea turtles poses a threat to the livelihoods of Louisiana shrimp fishermen
Presence of unmasked attendees leads BESE to cancel discussion of school mask rules
Attendees’ refusal to wear masks at a meeting of the state’s public education board led the members to adjourn before they could discuss a potential challenge to Gov. John Bel Edwards’ COVID-19 mask mandate.
Lawsuit over the St. George incorporation effort headed for trial
A two-year-long legal battle over the proposed incorporation of St. George in East Baton Rouge Parish may be moving closer to a resolution, with a trial expected to take place early next year.
Appeals court ruling keeps Louisiana coastal erosion lawsuits under federal review
A federal appeals court ruling this month has buoyed Louisiana oil companies’ hopes that coastal erosion lawsuits brought by parish governments might be tried in federal rather than state courts.
Medical students file federal lawsuit over Louisiana campus' vaccine policy
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry has been removed as a plaintiff in a lawsuit filed by three medical students that alleges their college’s COVID-19 vaccination policy violates the state and U.S. constitutions.