Michael Carroll News
U.S. Supreme Court won't intervene to speed up redrawing of Louisiana congressional map
The U.S. Supreme Court last month declined to put a hold on a federal appeals court decision that potentially delays a resolution to a lawsuit calling for a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana.
Federal appeals court backs consent decree that led to majority-Black Louisiana Supreme Court district
A federal appeals court has rejected Attorney General Jeff Landry`s bid to end a consent decree that requires Louisiana to retain a majority-Black district in the New Orleans area for state Supreme Court elections.
U.S. Justice Department backs Tesla claim in litigation over Louisiana's ban on direct-to-customer car sales
Elon Musk’s Tesla Inc. received support from the U.S. Justice Department in October concerning one of its appeals court arguments challenging Louisiana’s practice of barring direct car sales to customers.
Journalist sues Bossier City for allegedly threatening public comments at council meetings
A website owner and journalist is suing Bossier City officials for violations of the First Amendment, Louisiana Constitution and the state’s open-meeting law, arguing that recent City Council rules and actions quash free speech by those with disfavored viewpoints.
Louisiana's high court affirms that lawsuit over 5-year-old's playground injury can go forward
The state Supreme Court earlier this month weighed in on a lawsuit filed by the parents of a 5-year-old who suffered a hip injury during a playground incident at St. George School in East Baton Rouge Parish.
Louisiana Board of Pardons at center of legal battle over clemency for death-row inmates
An East Baton Rouge court last week disqualified a New Orleans law firm from representing the Louisiana Board of Pardons as a result of conflict-of-interest allegations in an ongoing legal dispute over an effort to grant clemency to death-row inmates.
D.R. Horton appeals move to send defective-homes lawsuit back to state court
D.R. Horton, which bills itself as “America’s largest new home builder,” is appealing a federal judge’s decision to send a potential class-action lawsuit alleging widespread, humidity-induced structural damage back to state court in Louisiana.
Louisiana's high court rejects law allowing reduction of long-term prison sentences
The Louisiana Supreme Court last month upended a 2021 state law that empowered district attorneys to reconsider and reduce long prison sentences meted out to convicted individuals with previous felony convictions.
Business groups hopeful about Louisiana election results despite weak turnout
While Saturday’s Louisiana gubernatorial election may have motivated only a little more than one-third of registered voters to turn in ballots, business groups seemed upbeat about the election outcome.
Louisiana lawsuit alleges tribunal that adjudicates COVID-19 injury claims violated Constitution
A little-known federal agency charged with assessing claims of those who have suffered serious injuries after taking the COVID-19 vaccine is “a kangaroo court” that routinely rejects allegations of adverse medical events, according to a federal lawsuit filed in Louisiana.
Judge rejects adult entertainment group's position against Louisiana's age-verification law
An adult entertainment group’s legal challenge of a Louisiana law requiring age verification for state residents to access sexually explicit websites was dismissed in part by a federal judge.
Landry wins governor's race outright in low-turnout primary election
An anemic voter turnout and a “historic failure” of the state’s Democratic Party apparatus allowed Republican Jeff Landry to defy the polls and win Saturday’s governor’s race without the need for a runoff, a political analyst said.
Louisiana has more judges than states of similar size, state auditor finds
Compared to similarly sized states, Louisiana has the highest number of judges per capita – a total of 279 per about 4.6 million residents, or 6.1 judges for every 100,000 state residents, according to a new report from the Louisiana legislative auditor.
Jefferson Parish sheriff sued over alleged misuse of facial recognition technology
The Jefferson Parish sheriff and deputy sheriff are defendants in a federal lawsuit filed by a Georgia resident who said he was jailed for six days after being falsely linked by facial identification technology to purse thefts in Metairie.
Judicial funding policies may put state Supreme Court at odds with state law, audit concludes
Louisiana Supreme Court justices are divided over a state legislative auditor’s conclusion that administrative expenses for a supplemental compensation fund for judges were incorrectly paid using state general revenues.
Louisiana elected officials seek to protect local fishermen from imported shrimp
Louisiana elected officials are rallying to find solutions to help protect the state’s shrimp fishermen from cheap foreign shrimp that critics say is depriving shrimpers of their livelihood and undermining public health.
Auto dealer association chief Will Green named LABI president and CEO
The Louisiana Association of Business and Industry will continue to fight for tort reform and increased transparency and modernization of the state’s court system, according to Will Green, LABI’s newly selected president and CEO.
Louisiana legal system concerns highlighted during Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week
Tort reform advocates highlighted their concerns about Louisiana’s legal climate during Lawsuit Abuse Awareness Week beginning on Oct. 2, with grassroots groups trying to drum up support for legal reforms in the governor’s race and among voters around the state.
Appeals court delays contested Gulf of Mexico offshore oil lease sale date to Nov. 8
A controversial offshore oil and gas lease sale in the Gulf of Mexico will be delayed until Nov. 8, leaving the Biden administration’s proposed acreage restrictions on the sale unsettled for now, a federal appeals court has decided.
4 Baton Rouge officers charged in ongoing 'Brave Cave' abuse investigation
Four Baton Rouge police officers have been charged with crimes as a result of an internal investigation into a disbanded street-crimes unit, whose members have also become the target of civil lawsuits alleging police abuses and sexual humiliation.