New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell argues in court Tuesday that a local woman who took pictures of the mayor and her bodyguard dining together in the French Quarter should be kept a hundred feet away from her at all times.
But how much privacy is the elected leader of New Orleans entitled to when out in public?
"Almost none," answers Loyola law professor Dane Ciolino.
Ciolino says if the mayor can be seen from a public vantage point, then the public has every right to photograph her. And it would take a lot for the mayor to prove she was being stalked or otherwise put in danger by the photographer's actions.
Related
"This is a matter of public concern and I cannot imagine that a citizen would be foreclosed from being able to take her picture under those circumstances," Ciolino said. "Virtually every federal circuit court that's answered the question about whether it's appropriate to film government employees and public officials has held that citizens have a First Amendment right to do just that."
Anne Breaud's picture led to a third-party investigation of Jeffrey Vappie, and the performance of his duties as a member of the mayor's bodyguard team. He has been reassigned to other duties.
Related
