Governor Jeff Landry's first official day in office was an eventful one, as he issued two executive orders and called a special session for lawmakers to address an issue subject to a federal court order.
That special session call orders lawmakers back to the Capitol next Monday so they can create new congressional districts and new Louisiana Supreme Court districts. A federal judge ordered lawmakers to create a second majority-minority district after several plaintiffs sued the state over the congressional map lawmakers approved in 2021. The judge sided with the plaintiffs, who argued Louisiana should have a second majority-minority district because the state's population is one-third Black. Five of the justices of the Supreme Court of Louisiana asked Landry last week to include their redistricting item to the special session call. Those justices argued that the court's district map have not been updated in nearly three decades. They also argued that their court should include a second majority-minority district to reflect the state's racial makeup.
Landry's call for the special session, however, gives the legislature more leeway to work that some observers anticipated. The call allows the legislature to propose constitutional amendments relative changing the number of justices that sit on the court and the number of court districts, revising the method of electing justices, and changing the method of selecting the chief justice. In addition, the call allow legislators to create laws dealing with campaign financing. It also gives lawmakers an opportunity to create a constitutional amendment moving Louisiana from the open jungle primary election system the state has used since 1975 to a closed party primary system used in the majority of the United States.
Any legislation dealing with the Louisiana Supreme Court or changing the state's primary system would require voter approval, as those changes would come via constitutional amendments.
Landry also issued his first executive orders as governor. The first eliminates a set of alternative graduation rules approved by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education that allow students who fail the LEAP Test to graduate. That policy, supported by BESE President Holly Boffy (R-Lafayette), gave seniors who failed the standardized test an appeal option to demonstrate that they have the knowledge and skills needed to graduate. As attorney general, Landry admitted that BESE was within its right to implement the procedure, but he disagreed with it because he felt it lowered education standards in Louisiana.
Landry's second executive order creates the Office of the First Lady within the state government's executive branch. That order states that the first lady "shall be an ambassador and a spokesperson for the State of Louisiana and shall perform other officials duties." The order also provides the Office of the First Lady "support staff, office facilities, and reasonable operating expenses."
