News & Commentary

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana today filed suit in U.S. District Court against the Louisiana Department of Corrections for banning interviews with prisoners at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola. 

The ACLU of Louisiana and the City of Slidell have reached a final settlement agreement for attorneys’ fees in their lawsuit over Slidell’s unconstitutional panhandling ordinance. Slidell has now paid the fees because it required panhandlers to register with police and obtain a permit in order to ask for money. In June, a federal judge ruled that the city’s panhandling ordinance was an unconstitutional infringement on First Amendment rights, and ordered Slidell to reimburse the ACLU for its costs and fees in representing its clients.

The American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana sent a letter today to Louisiana State Police Superintendent Kevin Reeves condemning retaliatory action taken against a driver who gestured at a state trooper with his middle finger. 

On October 11th, the ACLU of Louisiana sent a letter to the members of the council, advising them that a proposed ordinance requiring permits for panhandlers violated the Constitution. None of the councilmembers responded to the letter.

According to news reports, a man was arrested in Lafayette yesterday and charged with 'flag desecration.' Charri Mohamad was charged under LA Rev Stat § 14:116 following complaints from a local business, whose security cameras recorded footage appearing to show Mohamad burning an American flag, and tearing up another.

After receiving reports of Louisiana students being punished for sitting during the Pledge of Allegiance, the ACLU of Louisiana sent a letter today to the superintendents of all Louisiana public school districts, reminding them of their obligation to protect students’ First Amendment rights.

The ACLU of Louisiana has learned that a man in New Orleans was booked on hate crime charges this week under the new ‘Blue Lives Matter’ law. During his arrest for an unrelated property crime, Raul Delatoba allegedly shouted sexist and racist slurs at officers in the 8th District police station, leading to the addition of the hate crime charge. Delatoba’s behavior, while deeply offensive, is not illegal and in fact is protected under the First Amendment of the United States Constitution.

East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar R. Moore announced today that more than half of the people arrested over a three day period of protests between July 8 – July 11 will not be charged with a crime. This should not be seen as a victory for the protestors, because they should not have been arrested in the first place.