Today in New Orleans Civil District court, a judge will hear arguments on whether the NoLatoya recall campaign should turn over signatures on the recall petition to the news media.
The Times-Picayune | New Orleans Advocate sued the organizers of the campaign to recall New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell, after the recall campaign failed to release the list of names of people who have been signing. Legal analyst Tim Meche says the law as written seems pretty hard to argue.
"The law couldn't be more clear: it specifically says once the first signature is affixed to the petition for recall, it becomes a public record," said Meche.
Recall committee vice chair Eileen Carter argues everyone who has signed should have a right to privacy, and raises concerns of reprisals if their names are made public. But Meche says those arguments are beside the point.
"Once the first signature is affixed to the petition, it's a public record, but the custodian is the person in charge of the campaign," said Meche. "They should know that it's crystal clear that the names are public record. They don't have a legal leg to stand on."
