The committee behind the effort to kick New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell out of office is refusing a request from The Times Picayune / New Orleans Advocate to turn over the names of the tens of thousands of people who have signed petitions to recall the mayor.
"We believe that the voters who signed our petition have a right to privacy," Recall Committee Co-Chair Eileen Carter told WWL First News.
She insists that the same protection voters have to keep their ballots secret when they go to the polls should apply.
The newspaper is suing the recall organizers. A hearing has been set for this coming Wednesday, February 8th at 1:30pm.
A judge will decide if a recall petition is a public record that the newspaper has the right to see and publish. Attorneys for The Times Picayune / New Orleans Advocate believe it is. The recall organizers disagree.
"Is this in the best interest of the community when this administration is known to retaliate?" Carter asked.
She vows to fight the release in what she calls a "shameless legal maneuver."
It comes as the recall deadline is quickly approaching on February 22nd.
Carter has said they are within striking distance of getting the final signatures they need to force a recall election.
Could this lawsuit keep some people from signing the petition, in fear of their names being made public? That's not clear, but the recall committee hopes to put this matter to bed quickly so voters will know if their names will go public or not before the deadline to sign.
Carter is calling on voters opposed to the release of the names to call the newspaper and express their feeling.
"Supporter are also urged to show up in Civil District Court Division J this Wednesday," Carter insisted.
