Louisiana Politics

Feds intervene in lawsuit over Louisiana's legislative maps

BY JESSICA WILLIAMS | Capitol News Bureau Editor

DOJ vs. AG: The Department of Justice has intervened in a lawsuit that claims Louisiana's legislative maps dilute Black votes, Meghan Friedmann reports. Read on to learn why.

Calcasieu bridge: There's one thing Gov. John Bel Edwards wants Gov.-elect Jeff Landry to prioritize above all else come January, James Finn reports — the fate of an aging bridge over the Calcasieu River.

Criminal justice: As a panel convened by Landry met this week to consider reversing several laws aimed at lowering the state's prison population, Edwards urged Landry and lawmakers to leave the laws in place, Friedmann reports.

Political Buzz

Richard Nelson will be revenue secretary. What might that mean for his political future?

State Rep. Richard Nelson won notice as a political comer even though polls showed him with only 1% of the vote when he dropped out of the … Read more

David Vitter may have lost the 2015 governor's race, but he remains a player. Here's how

David Vitter lost the 2015 governor’s race, after being favored to win, and then didn’t run for reelection to the U.S. Senate in 2016. Read more

Numbers to Know

Laws passed in 2017 made some nonviolent offenders eligible for parole earlier, and issued lighter sentences to some drug offenders

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Louisiana's incarceration rate has dropped by 24% in the years since

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Recidivism for offenders one year out of prison has dropped from 15% to 11%

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Source: Pew Trusts, state Department of Corrections

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