Cajun Conservatism
U.S. District Judge Terry Doughty's ruling came in a lawsuit filed in March by Louisiana Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry and officials in 12 other states. Doughty said his ruling applies nationwide. It grants a preliminary injunction — technically a halt to the suspension pending further arguments on the merits of the case.
Read more: Federal judge blocks Biden's pause on new oil, gas leases
New report shows toll of civil court costs on Louisiana’s economy
Costs result in significant losses to Louisiana families, businesses, and tax rolls; More than $2 billion in savings projected with additional legal reforms
Baton Rouge, LA — Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) today released the 2021 Impact of Tort Costs and the Potential Economic Benefits of Tort Reform, an assessment measuring the impact of excessive civil court costs on Louisiana’s economy. Citizens Against Lawsuit Abuse (CALA) commissioned John Dunham & Associates (JDA) to conduct analysis on these impacts and the potential economic benefits of tort reform in Louisiana. View the Louisiana report here.
Findings once again showed that Louisiana continues to lose jobs and revenue to the tune of billions annually. The current total impact of these costs results in $3.87 billion in lost economic activity, 22,550 in job losses and losses of $1.12 billion in lost wages for hardworking Louisianans. This translates to an annual hidden “tort tax” of $451 currently being paid by every single Louisiana resident. Were Louisiana to enact additional reforms, the resulting savings to residents and businesses would be an estimated $2.1 billion.
As a result, all major industry groups are negatively impacted. Business and personal services tops the list with job losses totaling more than 7,700, lost wages in excess of $446 million and $951 million in lost output. The travel and entertainment sector is the next hardest-hit with more than 5600 in lost jobs, lost wages in excess of $163 million and more than $545 million in output losses. Coming in third is finance, insurance, and real estate with more than 2600 job losses, nearly $97 million in lost wages and more than $644 million in lost output.
The report also looked at the costs of Louisiana’s civil justice system resulting in specific losses in the largest Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSA), as outlined below.
o Jobs: 2900+
o Wages: $126+ million
o Economic Activity: $405+ millio
o Jobs: 1580+
o Wages: $76+ million
o Economic Activity: $254+ million
o Jobs: 1000+
o Wages: $54+ million
o Economic Activity: $172+ million
o Jobs: 600+
o Wages: 34+ million
o Economic Activity: 109+ million
Though significant legal reforms were passed by the Louisiana Legislature last year, it will take time for these changes to take effect. Significant legal cost savings to the state and its residents would result from implementation of comprehensive legal reform. Louisiana would experience a spurt of economic growth resulting in jobs gained, increased wages and benefits, as well as a significant expansion of economic activity. State government would also benefit from additional tax revenues. All of these are needed more than ever, as the state continues to recover from the effects of COVID-19.
“These findings clearly show that civil justice reform must continue to be a priority in Louisiana. Frivolous lawsuits and exorbitant plaintiff awards impact all sectors of our economy – especially the critical energy sector. These job-killing lawsuits hurt Louisiana families, and in addition, economic opportunities are driven away while resulting costs are passed down to all Louisianans in the form of higher prices for goods and services,” said LLAW Executive Director Lana Venable.
While providing access to the civil justice system for truly injured parties to be fully and fairly compensated is the bedrock of the American judicial system, civil justice reforms aim to discourage filing of nuisance lawsuits or limit the types of damages that can be received. They are designed to relieve the court system from an abundance of frivilous lawsuits, prevent hurtful and abusive practices against businesses and other defendants, and prevent lawsuits that are overly costly.
“A healthy legal system should ensure fairness for both truly impaired individuals and small and large businesses operating in Louisiana. Imbalances in the system lead to unpredictability for consumers and businesses, costing jobs and resulting in constrained economic growth,” according to Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense Executive Director Karen Eddlemon.
Louisiana earned the number five ranking in the American Tort Reform Foundation’s 2020-21 Judicial Hellholes Report based on systematic application of civil laws and court procedures. The state was also ranked 49th in the US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform’s 2019 Lawsuit Abuse Climate Survey, which measures the reasonability and balance of each states’ tort liability systems.
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About Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW)
Louisiana Lawsuit Abuse Watch (LLAW) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit, citizen watchdog group with nearly 20,000 supporters across the state. LLAW is dedicated to ending lawsuit abuse that hurts Louisiana’s families and threatens local businesses and jobs by bringing more balance, fairness and common sense to Louisiana’s civil justice system. Visit us on Facebook, Twitter (@ReformLouisiana) and www.llaw.org.
About the Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense (LCCS)
The Louisiana Coalition for Common Sense (LCCS) is a group of professional associations, companies and individuals committed to ensuring a fair legal climate for both truly impaired individuals and small and large businesses operating in Louisiana.
About John Dunham & Associates (JDH)
Florida-based John Dunham & Associates provides strong analysis, as well as unique, credible messages and tools for use in lobbying, stakeholder engagement, communications, and litigation support. Firms can better manage potential risks and respond to opportunities by developing fact-based economic materials, messaging tools and stakeholder relations.
“In exchange for badly needed funds to assist the States of Texas, Mississippi, and Louisiana and their citizens in recovering from the ongoing pandemic – the American Rescue Plan Act attempts to obligate these states to exercise their core sovereign power of taxation in the way the federal government prefers,” said Attorney General Landry. “Specifically, the Act prohibits the states from reducing net tax revenue on pain of forfeiting up to billions of dollars in federal funding.”
A copy of the suit may be found here.
"Newly elected District Attorney Don Landry has publicly agreed to take action that aligns with the current Police Jury’s decision regarding the lawsuits," the release says.
That issue will be discussed at a jury meeting tonight at 6 p.m. in the Vermilion Parish Courthouse, where the police jury usually meets.
“I don’t have a lot of details,” Kennedy said of the visit. “It’s always an honor when a president visits your state. I’m sure the president’s coming in to say I’m the candy man, and I’ve got more free stuff for you. The problem is that there’s nothing free. Anything free somebody had to work for. The president’s plan is not an infrastructure plan. Only 5 percent of it goes to infrastructure. It’s really a Green New Deal and welfare plan, and it’s a mess. It looks like somebody — somebody knocked over a urine sample. Now, we can fix it if we stick to, A, infrastructure, and B, we have serious discussions about how to pay for it. I can tell you how we can pay for it.”
Read more: GOP Sen. Kennedy: Biden Louisiana Trip to Say ‘I’m the Candy Man and I’ve Got More Free Stuff for You’
In case you haven’t heard this one, Hunter Biden is scheduled to be a guest speaker at Tulane University in an upcoming online course.
Yes, this Hunter Biden.
Hunter Biden, son of President Joe Biden and target of Republican attacks during the 2020 presidential campaign for his business dealings in Ukraine, is one of nine guest speakers scheduled to address a new 10-week class at Tulane University, a university spokesperson confirmed Tuesday night.
Read more: Hunter Biden to be guest speaker for Tulane University class; see complete list
Attorney General Jeff Landry of Louisiana had this to say about the announcement today on his Facebook account:
Parents and donors of Tulane should keep this kind of garbage in mind when sending their kids and their money to Tulane this fall.
According to Dr. Joseph Kanter, Gov. John Bel Edwards’ office has discussed it, but he said it’s too early to make a decision.
Alanah Odoms Hebert from the Louisiana ACLU cited several concerns if this goes forward.
“The idea of a vaccine passport is something that we generally support, but there are key issues we want the public to be aware of and the government,” said Hebert.
Read more: Louisiana leaders discuss the idea of a COVID-19 vaccine passport
The following was posted on the Facebook page of Attorney General Jeff Landry this afternoon:
⚡ BREAKING ⚡ TODAY, I ANNOUNCED I AM LEADING AN EFFORT OF MULTIPLE STATES TO SUE JOE BIDEN AND HIS ADMINISTRATION FOR STOPPING OIL AND GAS LEASES IN THE GULF. (Video link at bottom.)
The Biden Ban against energy directly impacts tens of thousands of hard working Louisianans, middle class jobs, and takes food of the tables of Louisiana families. Biden's actions are driving up the price Americans pay at the pump. And the Biden Ban harms our national security.
In the video below you will see several Louisiana leaders supporting this effort including:
President of the Louisiana Oil and Gas Association Mike Moncla,
Lori LeBlanc who is Vice President of LMOGA (the Louisiana Mid-Continent Oil and Gas Association) and Executive Director for the Gulf Economic Survival Team (GEST),
and Representative Blake Miguez, the Republican Leader of the Louisiana House.
We were joined by my Louisiana Solicitor General Liz Murrill.
The following states have joined my lawsuit filed this morning in the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, Utah, and West Virginia.
My official office video of the news conference below:
With a conservative Republican, Claston Bernard, being kept from a televised debate on WWL, the latest slap in the face comes with the Republican Jefferson Parish President, Cynthia Lee Sheng endorsing one of his Democratic challengers for the 2nd Congressional District race.
Lee Sheng has endorsed candidate Troy Carter.
“Troy’s always been accessible and easy to work with,” said Lee Sheng, a Republican, noting that Carter’s Algiers-centered district includes a portion of Jefferson Parish’s west bank. “I have not had an opportunity to work with Karen,” she added -- although a small portion of Peterson’s district extends into the east bank of Jefferson Parish.
It’s been said before and worth reiterating. The GOP will end up screwing up everything they put their hands to.
Contrary to his opinion, the “Honor Code” Governor of the State of Louisiana has accomplished squat in the past 5 years of his administration, other than spending federal money, killing oil and gas and taxing the crap out of the citizens of this state.
Louisiana ranked No. 50 among the best states in a U.S. News and World Report survey that explored eight categories ranging from the economy to education.
The state has consistently ranked near the bottom for years.
Read more: Louisiana ranks last among 'best' U.S. states for economy; education
If U.S. President Joe Biden’s pause on new oil and natural gas leases in offshore waters becomes permanent, the effect on the U.S. Gulf of Mexico workforce would be considerable.
That’s what’s shown by the National Ocean Industries Association’s (NOIA) latest projections, which were prepared by Energy & Industrial Advisory Partners. According to these figures, which assume that no new lease sales would be held from 2022, Gulf of Mexico offshore oil and natural gas supported employment would decline by almost 200,000 jobs over the next two decades, compared to a base case figure.
Read more: How Many US GOM Jobs Could Go Under Biden?
"I never knew what I could do in my own building, so I decided to file an injunction" Red's Levee Bar owner Liz Breaux said.
The order from 16th Judicial District Judge Anthony Thibodeaux granted a request to temporarily block enforcement of the restrictions against Red’s Levee Bar in Catahoula until a hearing slated for Dec. 28.
Read more: St. Martin Parish judge temporarily blocks enforcement of governor's restrictions on bars
My office has become aware of a disinformation campaign concerning voting in parishes hardest hit by Hurricane Laura. Several people have shared false information stating that all voters in Southwest Louisiana will be forced to vote by mail. This is untrue. We are working with clerks and registrars on reestablishing early voting location and emergency Election Day polling places. Please feel free to share my statement, found here and below, on your social media and with your friends and contacts in the affected areas. Please call my office at 225-922-2880 with any questions.
“We are working with the Registrar of Voters and Clerk of Court in both Calcasieu and Cameron Parishes to reestablish early voting locations and emergency Election Day polling locations for the November and December elections. Rumors that voters affected by Hurricane Laura will be forced to vote by mail are unfounded and untrue.”
Attorney General Jeff Landry & Congressman Clay Higgins
Photo Source: Central City News
Earlier this week, Attorney General Jeff Landry submitted an Amicus Brief in support of Firehouse BBQ’s case against the Governor’s Mask Mandate!
As we’ve seen during this crisis, some of our politicians are willing to exert their power in any way they see fit while some seek to strike a balance between constitutional rights and public health.
Landry has proven, time after time, that our basic constitutional rights are his chief concern when it comes to restrictions on our life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. Our founders wrote the Bill of Rights for a reason and last we checked, there isn't an amendment that says “all the aforementioned rights are turned off in the event of a virus.”
Jeff Landry knows the Constitution and what’s right. That’s why he’s been fighting back against any unconstitutional measures.
Here’s a quote from the brief:
This case is not about whether masks or face coverings are a good idea. It is about what the Governor and the Department of Health can do during an extended public health emergency and – importantly – how it can constitutionally do it - Jeff Landry
We are proud of AG Landry for his efforts to defend the constitution. No politician or crisis is bigger than our principles.
We applaud Jeff Landry’s support of Firehouse BBQ with his Amicus Brief!
Read the brief HERE!
In a phone interview with Fox News, Landry said that while he has tried to be tough on crime in his state, he realized years ago that in other parts of the country there were signs that crime would reach “epidemic” levels.
"When I became attorney general back in 2016, one of the first things that we tackled was we took a very proactive fight against crime," Landry said. "I predicted four and five years ago that this country was headed towards an extreme violent crime outbreak, that it was going to become an epidemic."
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
In anticipation of Senator Bill Cassidy qualifying for re-election later this week, Louisiana Legacy has released a video highlighting the senior senator's six years in the United States Senate, with the help of conservative legislators from all across the state.
Since defeating Mary Landrieu in 2014, Senator Cassidy has quickly become a leader in Washington D.C. on issues like healthcare, energy, and now, combating the COVID-19 pandemic. Senator Cassidy has fought for families and often tackled what he calls "kitchen table issues" -- those that impact everyday, hard working Americans. He partnered with President Trump's daughter and White House Advisor Ivanka Trump to pass the Paid Family Leave Act helping families navigate the crucial first years of a child's life. He has championed mental health awareness and assistance for Veterans; he has fought to bring transparency to medical billing and reduce the cost of prescription drugs. Here in Louisiana, he has worked to protect our coast and safeguard our oil and gas jobs.
Six years is simply not enough. We need Bill for six more!
We need to re-elect US Senator Bill Cassidy for US Senate!
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
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.
