Cajun Conservatism
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry hailed Barr for maintaining his calm demeanor as House Democrats repeatedly interrupted him with the argument they were “reclaiming my time.”
“General Barr, like our law enforcement officers battling anarchists in the streets, should be applauded for his civility and restraint in the face of an angry mob,” said Landry, “These Joe Biden voters have no interest in discourse just destruction.”
Read more: State AGs Cheer Administration 'Star' Barr
AG Jeff Landry continues to explain his legal opinion on Gov. Honor Code’s mask mandate and the requirements that basically force Louisiana businesses to become enforcement agencies.
Letter to the Governor"Now, you have placed our job creators in the crosshairs. Your mandates seek to put the burden on them to enforce your new rules. State immunity does not protect our job creators from federal civil rights claims or the myriad of other federal liabilities they may face in executing your edicts. It is simply wrong and beyond your authority." Read the full letter to the Governor: https://bit.ly/3hoaJQO
Posted by Office of the Louisiana Attorney General on Wednesday, July 22, 2020
The plaintiffs claim their businesses were devastated by the governor's original state stay-at-home order issued in March. The latest order, they assert, will be even more destructive to their livelihoods and violates their right to peaceful assembly and free expression. It also puts business owners at risk of physical harm, as disputes over mask mandates in other parts of the country have led to violence in some cases.
The order is "unconstitutionally vague, riddled with many exceptions, many of which are subjectively determined," the suit says.
These arguments dovetail closely with — and even cite word for word at times — the opinion offered by Landry last week, who asserted that the legal foundation for the governor's July 11 order was "flimsy" and that it was "vague as to penalties and enforcement."
Read more: Jefferson Parish business owners sue John Bel Edwards over mask mandate, coronavirus restrictions
July 20, 2020
Hon. John Bel Edwards
Post Office Box 94004
Baton Rouge, LA 70804
Dear Governor Edwards, I appreciate your deep concern over the official Opinion 20-0068 issued by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office last week.
Shortly after we – at great cost to our economy and personal freedoms – “flattened the curve,” you surprisingly applauded extraordinarily large groups of people who were gathering in violation of practically every order you had issued to contain the virus – orders which emphasized social distancing.
While you could have applauded people exercising their Constitutional right to the freedom of speech while at the same time chastised attendees for failing to protect people from the spread of the virus, you did only the former and none of the latter.
Now, you seek to further impede the Constitutional freedoms of all Louisianans without any concrete goal or objective based on published metrics.
After seeing your lack of admonition of those violating your guidelines, surely others – especially those in similar age groups – figured that if it was okay to gather in the streets in large numbers without social distancing or other protective measures, surely it was okay to gather in large groups at locations like nightclubs and bars.
In the last few weeks, the spike of virus cases is predominantly in the same age groups we saw take to the streets and then to the nightclubs and bars. Yet, you have taken no responsibility for allowing this to happen or for cheering it on without admonitions. You did not seem greatly concerned about the possibility that these young people might go visit grandma and grandpa at the time.
The concern, under the law, is that you have seemed to pick and choose who receives the brunt of your executive authority. In place of a thoughtful use of your authority, you have decided to punish everyone not marching in the streets or destroying statues.
Now, you have placed our job creators in the crosshairs. Your mandates seek to put the burden on them to enforce your new rules. State immunity does not protect our job creators from federal civil rights claims or the myriad of other federal liabilities they may face in executing your edicts. It is simply wrong and beyond your authority.
Many citizens of Louisiana have reached out to our office with serious concerns over your decision-making on these issues. Their concerns, and my concerns, with your new mandate are not that it attempts to improve the situation we face with COVID-19; rather, it is that it does so in a manner that is destructive to the economy of our State and the livelihood of our citizens.
Thousands of small business people could lose their entire life’s work because of your indiscriminate actions. Had you made more attempts to seek consultation with others, a more rational approach could have been made.
As I have repeatedly stated, you can use a scalpel; but that would require you to take responsibility. I understand you are not interested in that as it is easier for you to turn citizen against citizen and business against customer. As to any perceived change in position, it has to do with where we are today not where we were months ago.
Things have changed. We now know the severity of this disease and how it is nowhere in the ballpark of predictions made in March, not only because of our previous actions but because the scientific data indicates this to be the case.
Like you, I trusted the data and models generated in March. But since then, they have been proven to be wrong on a scale of grand magnitude. Therefore, our response needs to change by the same degree of magnitude. By the same token, your extraordinary powers need to change by the same degree of magnitude.
I noticed in your recent letter that you did not address the issues related to your actual authority and the legal mechanism to enforce it. You also seemed to struggle with the idea that a business, or my government office as you pointed out, could choose to require the use of a mask but that your statewide government fiat is not the same. A mandate is government dictated; office policy is the choice of that private business or management of that office.
A mandate, under an emergency, should have metrics by which to advise the public on whether it has succeeded and when the supposedly temporary mandate would end. That information has not been provided either to me or my representatives who have participated in every UCG meeting which we were invited.
Unlike you, I have faith in the people of Louisiana. I think they are fully capable of making decisions and assuming risks associated with daily life. Driving to work every day is probably the most dangerous thing we do day-in-and-day-out, yet we do it routinely. We have chosen to exercise our right to assume that risk and make our livings.
Three months ago, like the two of us, the people of our State did not know or understand what they were facing. You and I stood together with them to take it on and “flatten the curve.” We did it to provide our health care professionals the ability to prepare for treatment and to establish better protocols.
Now, we must learn how to live with this. We have all been educated; this is no longer a complete unknown.
We know who is vulnerable. I think all citizens should take every measure possible to protect their own health, safety, and lives. I also believe we should give them every opportunity to do so. We should not turn neighbor against neighbor. We should not attempt to turn our job creators into state-run police. And we should be thoughtful and responsible to all, equally. You have not done so under these recent actions.
We can agree on one thing: people should take every measure to protect themselves and those with underlying health conditions should take extra precautions. People should wear masks if they deem them appropriate for the purpose of protecting themselves and others. We should encourage and educate people on their proper use. We should also educate our citizens on things they can do to boost their immune systems and stay healthy.
This virus will not disappear tomorrow, and it will be difficult – if not next to impossible – to eradicate. The American Society for Microbiology has noted that “to date, the World Health Organization (WHO) has declared only 2 diseases officially eradicated: smallpox caused by variola virus (VARV) and rinderpest caused by the rinderpest virus (RPV).”
A vaccine will not 100% rid us of this China-originating plague. We need to be working on practical, achievable, and realistic practices that we can perform long-term. You have not been doing so, and that is regrettable because – without realistic and achievable goals – we will continue to be reactionary.
Finally, I must again address your false attacks on my efforts throughout this crisis. You pretend as if I have not been engaged in the process; yet you know full well that either I or a member of my staff has attended, virtually in many cases, every meeting you mentioned. We have been available as a resource if, and when, needed. And we have evaluated meticulously every one of your executive orders.
The Attorney General’s Office has been extraordinarily generous in giving you every benefit of the doubt. Yet, we cannot conclude that you are now within your authority.
I stand by my opinion. You are acting beyond your authority.
For Louisiana,
Jeff Landry
Attorney General
Attorney General Jeff Landry recently was a guest on Fox News concerning his challenge to the mask mandate issued in Louisiana by our benevolent dictator, I mean Governor, John Bel Edwards. The video, with host Shannon Bream, can be found below.
Photo source: Twitter
Today, Louisiana Attorney General, Jeff Landry, issued an opinion on the “mask mandate” and closing of establishments in the state of Louisiana in response to COVID-19. Needless to say, it highlights the unconstitutionality of these mandates, calling into question the mandate’s requirements forcing businesses to become enforcement agents, questioning the “50 person limit” and singling out one type of establishment for closure, as in bars.
In essence, John Bel Edwards is not king of this state, no matter what he may think.
The opinion can be found here: AG Landry Opinion
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry sent out the below tweet yesterday regarding the mask mandate issued by our benevolent dictator, er, “Governor”, Honor Code Edwards. Landry stressed the importance of the Louisiana legislature using their muscle as a coequal branch of government and issue oversight on Honor Code’s draconian measures he’s resorted to in response to COVID-19.
With @LouisianaGov closing more businesses, @LouisianaHouse and @LaSenateGOP should call themselves into session so they can appropriate some of the $500 million in federal aid sitting in state treasury to the job creators and their employees affected by @JohnBelEdwards closures
— Jeff Landry (@JeffLandry) July 13, 2020
Liberty minded citizens of this state need to contact each one of their legislators and demand action. Sitting on hands is not the proper response to our liberties being trampled on, no matter how minimal people may feel this issue really is.
Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry is urging the state's top school board to avoid mandating the use of face masks by students and teachers when schools reopen next month.
"We believe that mandating students to wear masks creates a situation that may cross the line on liberty, and also may become a tremendous distraction with enforcement," Landry said in his letter, which is dated July 9.
Read more: Don't force students and teachers to wear masks in school, AG Jeff Landry
June 29, 2020
WASHINGTON– Today, the Supreme Court of the United States announced its decision in an abortion case out of Louisiana, June Medical Services v. Russo. The Court ruled 5 to 4 to strike down the Louisiana law that requires abortion doctors to have hospital admitting privileges. Archbishop Joseph F. Naumann of Kansas City in Kansas and chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee for Pro-Life Activities issued the following statement:
“Abortion violently ends the life of a child, and often severely harms women. Abortion becomes even more destructive when basic health and safety standards are ignored, and profit margins are prioritized over women’s lives. As Catholics, we condemn abortion as a grave injustice that denies the fundamental human right to life. Yet even as we seek to end the brutality of legalized abortion, we still believe that the women who seek it should not be further harmed and abused by a callous, profit-driven industry.
“The Court’s failure to recognize the legitimacy of laws prioritizing women’s health and safety over abortion business interests continues a cruel precedent. As we grieve this decision and the pregnant women who will be harmed by it, we continue to pray and fight for justice for mothers and children.
“We will not rest until the day when the Supreme Court corrects the grave injustice of Roe and Casey and recognizes the Constitutional right to life for unborn human beings. And we continue to ask all people of faith to pray for women seeking abortion, often under enormous pressure, that they will find alternatives that truly value them and the lives of their children.”
The USCCB filed an amicus curae brief in the case along with the Louisiana Conference of Catholic Bishops and the National Association of Evangelicals urging the Court to uphold the law. The brief can be viewed here: http://www.usccb.org/about/general-counsel/amicus-briefs/upload/18-1323-USCCB-amicus-June-Med-v-Gee-12-30-2019.pdf
TODAY, THE SUPREME COURT CONTINUED ITS HEARTBREAKING LINE OF DECISIONS THAT PLACES ‘ACCESS’ TO ABORTION ABOVE THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF WOMEN AND GIRLS.
By putting precedent over patients, Justice Roberts gave his vote to a decision that ignored the overwhelming bipartisan support of Act 620 and the extensive record of Louisiana abortion providers’ history of medical malpractice, disciplinary actions, and violations of health and safety standards.
It is deeply disappointing that the Chief Justice continues a pattern of inconsistent and groundless decisions. In his misguided effort to convince the public that the Supreme Court is not political, Justice Roberts shows how political it actually is. Just four years ago, he joined the dissenters in Hellerstedt, which struck down Texas’s law; today, the Chief Justice openly acknowledges that case was wrong but then applies it anyway. He picks and choses from a stare decisis “buffet” to avoid admitting his Court is fallible. This is not justice – this is judge-made law at its worst.
Continuing to perpetuate judge-made rules that have no constitutional basis is bad for our country. It is this egregiously wrong practice that maintained decisions like Plessy, Dred Scott, and Korematsu for so long. And it reveals how far removed the Supreme Court’s abortion jurisprudence has become from the rules that apply to all other litigants. We are past due for a course correction.
When laws are passed with nearly unanimous bipartisan support by the elected representatives of a state and with undisputed proof of dangerous conditions and substandard abortion providers, but they cannot survive judicial review – something is drastically wrong with the Court’s case law on this subject.
I will continue to pray for all women and girls who will be exposed to the incompetent abortionists that put profits over people; and I will keep doing all that I legally can to protect the unborn, their mothers, and all Louisiana women.”
Jeff Landry
Attorney General - State of Louisiana
The United States Supreme Court has ruled, 5-to-4, against the Louisiana law in June Medical Services v. Russo. This case was about state lawmakers instituting basic health and safety laws to protect women. The question was whether abortionists can bully their way out of following the rules that apply to everyone else.
I am disappointed once again in the liberals on the U.S. Supreme Court and their newest ally, Chief Justice John Roberts, who decided against women and invalidated Louisiana’s admitting privileges law. The Court was wrong in failing to recognize the right of states to ensure access to quality emergency medical care.
Still, we are very proud of Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, Solicitor General, Liz Murrill, and former Representative/current Senator Katrina Jackson (D-Monroe), who authored the 2014 legislation that received broad bipartisan support. It is unfortunate that the Supreme Court failed to recognize the sovereign rights of states to govern in a manner which protects women’s safety. Apparently, the U.S. Supreme Court has another agenda and will continue to retain the unconstitutional and illegitimate Roe v. Wade decision. Protecting the unborn child’s right to life is the greatest human rights issue of our time. We must stand firm in the fight.
Louisiana enacted this law to protect women from the abortion businesses and their history of dirty and dangerous abortions by requiring abortion doctors—like doctors at all Louisiana free standing clinics – to be able to admit and treat their patients at nearby hospitals if the need arises. This ensures that doctors performing abortions will be competent and provide continuity of care to their patients.
This decision sends a dangerous message to states, which have the duty to prioritize women’s health and safety over abortion business interests. All states—including Louisiana—have a valid interest in regulating abortion and a duty to protect the health and safety of women. Today’s dangerous and medically substandard abortion clinics harm women. Louisiana abortion providers went to extraordinary lengths to erase a law that promotes the wellbeing of women. The Supreme Court should have put an end to this.
Abortion doctors regularly place profits over patients. The Court failed to recognize that when abortion providers seek to overturn health and safety laws enacted to protect women, they are not operating in women’s best interests. The Court missed a chance to end this conflict of interest that rewards abortion businesses at the expense of women.
Please remain in prayer for our nation -- that our Court will soon see the evil of abortion and abandon the untenable position of defending those who take innocent lives.
In His Service,
Gene Mills
President
Louisiana Family Forum
The letter, spearheaded by Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall and Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, praises law enforcement and asks House and Senate leadership to assist in quelling anti-police sentiments: "We especially rely on you, as the leaders of the most important legislative body in the world, to discourage dangerous disinformation and to help us restore the country’s faith in the overwhelming majority of law-enforcement officers who perform their jobs honorably and bring stability to our cities and states."
The other attorneys general who signed on to the letter were Leslie Rutledge of Arkansas, Curtis Hill of Indiana, Lynn Fitch of Mississippi, Doug Peterson of Nebraska, Wayne Stenehjem of North Dakota, Dave Yost of Ohio, Mike Hunter of Oklahoma, Alan Wilson of South Carolina, and Ken Paxton of Texas. The Western States Sheriffs Association and Southwestern Border Sheriffs Association also signed on to the letter.
The letter can be found here.
Read more: 11 Republican attorneys general ask Congress to shut down criticism of police
Louisiana Attorney General congratulates President Donald Trump on the successful confirmation of the 200th nominee to the federal bench:
.@POTUS @RealDonaldTrump is reshaping the courts by appointing conservative judges who adhere to the #Constitution and champion the limited government that our #FoundingFathers envisioned! 200 and counting #MAGA https://t.co/JQjLdLsCTL
— Jeff Landry (@JeffLandry) June 24, 2020
Louisiana Attorney General, Jeff Landry, posted the information below regarding a recent appearance on Fox News concerning the efforts to combat COVID-19 in Louisiana:
ON FOX NEWS LAST NIGHT I SPOKE ABOUT OUR EFFORTS TO FIGHT CORONAVIRUS AND MY MAJOR ANNOUNCEMENT YESTERDAY OF NEW MEDICATIONS FOR LOUISIANA. As you may have seen, at a press conference yesterday I spoke of the new medications I have secured including 8,000 packs of Azithromycin (Z Paks) and an additional 75,000 tablets of hydroxychloroquine from Teva pharmaceuticals. This is in addition to the 400,000 donations of hydroxycloroquine I secured from Amneal last week. This medication helps increase the supply in Louisiana for those patients already taking these medications for other reasons, for doctors who may use them for COVID-19 Coronavirus treatments and for the LSU Medical School which is conducting clinical trials for virus treatments. I will continue to do all I can to fight for Louisiana so we can beat this Coronavirus. Together we will win!
Interview from last night on @FoxNews #lagov #lalege pic.twitter.com/QMFPceg4Pi
— Jeff Landry (@JeffLandry) April 7, 2020
Photo source: Medscape
BATON ROUGE, LA - Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, working with the assistance of State Senate Health and Welfare Chairman Fred Mills, is announcing a major donation by Amneal Pharmaceuticals to help respond to the COVID-19 health emergency. Amneal is donating 400,000 hydroxychloroquine sulfate tablets to the State of Louisiana.
"On behalf of Louisiana, I want to thank Amneal for this generous donation," said General Landry. "It is important we all work together to help solve the COVID-19 Coronavirus crisis. We must come together as Louisianans and as Americans. This donation from Amneal demonstrates their strong effort to be a good corporate citizen in our Nation."
This morning, Attorney General Jeff Landry went before the Supreme Court to defend Louisiana’s law requiring admitting privileges for doctors who perform abortion. The below was posted to Landry’s Facebook page:
TODAY, AT THE SUPREME COURT I WILL DEFEND LOUISIANA'S PRO-LIFE AND PRO-WOMEN LAW ON ABORTION. This morning I am with Louisiana Solicitor General Elizabeth Murrill from my official office as we go before the Supreme Court of the United States defending Louisiana's bipartisan pro-life and pro-women law requiring hospital admitting privileges for those performing abortions. Abortionists should not escape these common sense regulations.
“As a father, I am deeply troubled by the alarming number of middle school and high school students using e-cigarettes,” said General Landry. “As the Attorney General, I will continue to do all that I legally can to protect children and make our state safer,” Landry said.
Landry says even though cigarette usage has dramatically dropped among youth, vaping rates continue to skyrocket.
Read more: AG Jeff Landry: Louisiana joins multistate investigation into JUUL Labs
Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeff Landry was selected to be Chairman of the Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) for 2020. As Chairman, AG Landry will lead RAGAs efforts to elect Republican Attorneys General across the country in next years political cycle. AG Landry has exemplified what it means to be a conservative Republican Attorney General. Being named Chairman of RAGA affirms his efforts and influence as Republicans look to increase their presence of Attorneys General.
“This year, RAGA obtained its first clean sweep of races in history, and I am looking forward to building on that positive momentum and increasing the Republican majority in 2020,” said RAGA Chairman, Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry. “I am honored and excited to take over as Chairman of such an outstanding organization. I will work with my colleagues to continue to elect rule of law champions across the country, including in Pennsylvania and North Carolina, states that President Trump picked up in 2016. As Chairman, I pledge to make our communities safer, protect the Constitution, and defend our values.”
AG Landry is also currently the President of the National Association of Attorneys General, a bi-partisian group of all AGs focused on providing guidance and support to the top legal officer of each state.
Read more about AG Landry being named RAGA Chairman HERE!
Photo source: The Advocate
Both Landry and Nungesser put stakes in the ground less than two days after Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards won re-election Saturday, The News Star reports.
Edwards, who defeated Baton Rouge businessman Eddie Rispone 51%-49% in Saturday’s runoff, is term limited, leaving an open seat in four years. Landry sent an email to supporters and state Republican Party leaders Sunday basically declaring himself the GOP linchpin in Louisiana and promising to protect conservative values. Landry’s email includes links where voters can go to provide information about themselves and whether they would consider hosting a fundraiser.
Nungesser, meanwhile, said he is “absolutely” considering a run in 2023.
Read more: Landry, Nungesser looking toward 2023 governor’s election
Photo source: SF Chronicle
Landry's name isn't listed on the paperwork for the Make Louisiana Great Again PAC filed with Louisiana's ethics administration office. But Landry's political consultant Brent Littlefield confirmed Thursday the attorney general is behind the effort, which hasn't yet filed information about its donors.
The PAC launched a 30-second statewide TV ad ahead of the Nov. 16 runoff election that slams Edwards on the bipartisan criminal sentencing law rewrite he championed, suggesting it damaged public safety.
Read more: Louisiana attorney general wades into the governor's race
