Michael Carroll News
Baton Rouge mayor-president offers transition plan for breakaway St. George
Baton Rouge’s mayor-president has proposed a transition plan to allocate local revenues to the new city of St. George in the wake of the city’s Transition District authorizing a lawsuit against the city-parish over the transfer of sales tax revenues.
Claims severity, litigation seen as key reasons behind high Louisiana auto insurance rates
More expensive car insurance claims in Louisiana, along with associated litigation and inflationary pressures, have pushed up costs for policyholders as the state emerged from the coronavirus pandemic, a business professor recently told a legislative panel.
Federal court ruling allows Louisiana to end state Supreme Court consent decree
A 30-year-old federal consent decree that required Louisiana to protect the right of Black residents to select their preferred member of the state Supreme Court has been dissolved as a result of an appeals court ruling last month.
New Louisiana law allows release of mugshots of nonviolent offenders
A new Louisiana law took effect last month that allows mugshots of nonviolent offenders to be released to the public, one of several “tough-on-crime” measures that critics say could prejudice potential jurors and punish offenders trying to turn their lives around.
Environmental groups back rule forcing offshore oil companies to pay Gulf decommissioning costs
Environmental groups are defending a new federal rule that Louisiana, Texas and Mississippi are suing to overturn in a legal fight that will determine who pays the cost to decommission oil and gas wells in the Gulf of Mexico.
Groups sue to stop construction of methane gas facility in Cameron Parish
Environmental and community groups are calling on a state court to reject the Louisiana Department of Energy and Natural Resources’ permit allowing the construction of a methane gas liquefaction facility along the coastline at Cameron.
Judge bars EPA from enforcing civil rights provision to protect Louisiana minorities from pollution
A federal judge has barred the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from using a section of the federal Civil Rights Act of 1964 to protect Louisiana’s minority communities from “disparate” harm from air or water pollution.
Baton Rouge couple sues city's Police Department over strip search
A Baton Rouge couple is suing the city’s Police Department, police chief and multiple police officers in federal court, alleging that they suffered pain and humiliation from strip searches after their home was subjected to a drug raid last year.
Louisiana Public Service Commission settles litigation, agrees to small rate hike, pricing reforms
The Louisiana Public Service Commission and Entergy Louisiana have resolved years of litigation over policies and pricing related to nuclear energy and agreed to new retail electricity rates for Entergy customers in the state.
Louisiana attorney general urges court to dismiss lawsuit challenging Ten Commandments law
The ACLU of Louisiana’s lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of a new state law that requires a display of the Ten Commandments be posted in all public school classrooms should be dismissed, the state’s attorney general argues in a federal court motion.
Louisiana relaxes its previous one-year time limit to file certain civil lawsuits
Louisiana’s longstanding one-year statute of limitations on many kinds of civil litigation, including civil rights cases against law enforcement officers, has been relaxed this year due to actions taken by the state Legislature.
6 news outlets sue Louisiana over new law allowing police officers to stop people from approaching them
Six news organizations are suing to block the enforcement of a new Louisiana law they say will interfere with journalists’ ability to do their jobs, arguing that the law improperly gives police officers the power to limit people from approaching them.
Buffer zone law gives cops too much power, journalists say in lawsuit
BATON ROUGE - As expected, Louisiana's new law that punishes those who approach police officers has been challenged in federal court.
14 GOP attorneys general urge rejection of court opinion on Louisiana legislative maps
Fourteen Republican attorneys general have filed an amicus brief in a federal appeals court to challenge a Louisiana federal judge’s conclusion that the state’s legislative districts unconstitutionally dilute the power of Black voters.
New Orleans woman accused of stalking Mayor Cantrell sues city officials for defamation, civil rights violations
A New Orleans woman who was accused in June of stalking Mayor LaToya Cantrell has filed a federal lawsuit against the mayor and other city officials, accusing them of multiple violations of the law, defamation, abuse of process and malicious prosecution.
Energy Transfer petition to FERC: Pipeline companies must 'play by the rules'
Two energy companies involved in building natural gas infrastructure in the Louisiana-Texas region are locked in a dispute over whether the Williams Companies Inc. is “playing by the rules” in planning its extensive pipeline network.
Solar farm developer sues St. James Parish over rejection of 2,200-acre project
A large landowner and a solar farm developer are both appealing to the 23rd Judicial District Court to overturn the St. James Parish Council’s rejection of a 2,200-acre solar project on residential and agricultural land.
Louisiana law requiring Ten Commandments in classrooms won't be enforced before Nov. 15, judge says
The judge overseeing a federal lawsuit challenging a new Louisiana law mandating the display of the Ten Commandments in all public-school classrooms has issued an order saying the religious directives would not be posted before Nov. 15.
Appeals court scales back injunction to protect Angola prisoners from summer heat
A federal appeals court has substantially narrowed an injunction requiring the Louisiana Department of Public Safety & Corrections (DPSC) to keep inmates working on the Angola prison’s Farm Line safe from extreme summer heat.
Disability-rights group sues Louisiana officials over new voting restrictions
A disabilities advocacy group is suing Louisiana state officials to prevent the enforcement of new laws that the plaintiff says violate the rights of the disabled to gain voting assistance under the federal Voting Rights Act (VRA).