Politics & Government
Judge Rules House Petition Statute Unconstitutional, Marking Win For Governor
Morvant came to his ruling after a morning of debate between Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry.
By Wesley Muller
November 12, 2020
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A 19th Judicial District Court today ruled a statute unconstitutional as used by Louisiana House members to petition the governor to terminate his COVID-19 public health emergency restrictions.
Judge William Morvant determined that Title 29, Section 768(B) is unconstitutional because it sought to overturn a governor’s executive order with only a majority of one chamber of the state legislature — the House of Representatives — rather than both the House and Senate.
Find out what's happening in Across Louisianafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Morvant came to his ruling after a morning of debate between Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry, his assistants and attorneys for Gov. John Bel Edwards. The ruling is a critical blow to the attorney general and House GOP members who have tried multiple times to end or weaken COVID-19 restrictions in Louisiana.
The Louisiana Illuminator is an independent, nonprofit, nonpartisan news organization driven by its mission to cast light on how decisions are made in Baton Rouge and how they affect the lives of everyday Louisianians, particularly those who are poor or otherwise marginalized.