The Louisiana Legislature passed several bills that focused squarely on the city of New Orleans, including one to eliminate the Criminal Clerk of Court's Office and another to eliminate three criminal court judgeships. Those bills passed despite opposition from the New Orleans delegation.
Do those losses mean the city of New Orleans has lost its voice in the legislature?
"It probably hasn't lost its voice, but it's probably been weakened," University of New Orleans political science professor Ed Chervenak said.
According to Chervenak, lawmakers from other parts of the state are taking a more aggressive stance to impose its will on the Crescent City. Chervenak says he wouldn't be surprised if lawmakers attempted to continue their domination of the city in future sessions.
"Certainly, there seems to be some hostility toward New Orleans by state government," Chervenak said. "That's been historic. This is nothing new--trying to keep New Orleans under wraps."
Chervenak believes partisan politics are at the heart of out-of-town lawmakers' desires to control New Orleans's affairs.
"Given the fact that there are different sides of the partisan spectrum, we can probably expect more confrontation between the city and the state," Chervenak said. "Given the fact that there are different sides of the partisan spectrum, we can probably expect more confrontation between the city and the state."
