Louisiana
Louisiana asks appeals court to keep Title IX rule protecting LGBTQ+ students on hold
On Monday, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans heard oral arguments in the case stemming from Louisiana’s lawsuit.
“Given the fact that the United States Supreme Court has already denied stays on these injunctions, I’m optimistic that this court will also uphold the injunction,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill told reporters after the Monday evening hearing.
At issue is the new U.S. Department of Education rule that says discrimination against students based on sexual orientation and gender identity is prohibited under Title IX, a 1972 federal law that bans sex-based discrimination in schools and colleges that receive federal funding. Other provisions of the rule add protections for pregnant students and expand the definition of sexual harassment at schools and colleges.
The rule, which was set to take effect Aug. 1, does not address transgender students’ participation in school sports, a highly contentious issue that will be the subject of a separate directive.
The new federal regulations could invalidate Louisiana laws that forbid transgender people from using school bathrooms that match their gender identity and protect teachers who refuse to refer to students by their preferred names and pronouns. If the rules took effect and Louisiana was found in violation of them, the state would face the prospect of losing billions of dollars in federal funding for schools, Murrill said Monday.
Murrill’s office filed a federal lawsuit to block the new Title IX rule immediately after it was issued in April. The lawsuit, which three other states joined, said that Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration had overstepped its authority and upended Title IX, which they argued was intended to protect only biological girls and women.
“This law was driven originally by a desire to stop discrimination against women in the education environment,” Murrill said Monday. “It is now being turned on its head.”
In a court filing, the state’s attorneys said the new Title IX interpretation would “transform” schools and harm students.
“Boys and girls will be forced to share bathrooms, locker rooms, and lodging on overnight field trips with members of the opposite sex, including adults,” the Sept. 19 filing said. “Students and teachers will be forced to use whatever pronouns a student demands based on his or her self-professed ‘gender identity.’”
Lawyers for the federal government argue that the new Title IX rule is based on a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court ruling, Bostock v. Clayton County, that said a federal ban on sex-based discrimination in the workplace also prohibits discrimination against gay and transgender people. The same logic applies to discrimination in schools, the Biden administration says.
“It is impossible to explain what it is you’re doing when you are intentionally discriminating against someone based on their gender identity without consideration of that person’s sex,” said Jack Starcher, an attorney representing the federal government, at Monday’s hearing. “Discrimination based on gender identity is discrimination based on sex.”
The Biden administration asked the court to limit the pause on the law to just those parts dealing with gender identity, allowing other provisions — such as those dealing with lactation spaces for pregnant students — to take effect while the legal challenges proceed. But Louisiana’s lawyers argue the rule’s expanded definition of sex-based discrimination touches every aspect of the law.
“Their new definitions are pervasive throughout the rule,” Murrill said after the hearing, adding that it would be confusing for schools to determine which parts of the new rule were in effect and which were paused.
The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals is considered one of the country’s most conservative appellate courts. Judge Jerry Smith, one of the three presiding judges at Monday’s hearing, appeared skeptical of the Biden administration’s rule.
Smith, who was appointed by former President Ronald Reagan, gave a hypothetical scenario in which a biological female student objected to playing volleyball during physical education class alongside a transgender girl. Under the new rule, Smith suggested, the student would lose access to her P.E. class if she refused to participate.
That “young woman would be denied the benefits of educational services by saying, ‘I don’t want this great big burly guy coming in here and competing against me,’” he said, referring to the transgender student as a “guy.”
The appeals court is expected to rule in the coming weeks. Murrill said she expects that one of the cases challenging the new Title IX will eventually head to the U.S. Supreme Court.
Here are the high school football scores from the second round of the Playoffs for the state of Louisiana:
Non-Select=
Division I=
Airline 42, Westgate 16
Destrehan 63, Shreveport Northwood 21
Neville 44, Covington 13
Ruston 42, Zachary 21
Southside 47, Walker 0
West Monroe 20, Mandeville 9
Division II=
Franklin Parish 35, Brusly 14
Franklinton 42, West Feliciana 21
Iowa 24, Wossman 8
Lakeshore 17, Iota 10
North DeSoto 38, Belle Chasse 14
Opelousas 30, Jennings 19
Division III=
Jena 56, Port Allen 20
Kinder 28, Westlake 12
Oak Grove 62, Mansfield 14
Pine 21, Kaplan 6
St. James 48, Donaldsonville 6
Sterlington 49, Lakeside 18
Union Parish 42, Red River 8
Division IV=
Franklin 22, DeQuincy 19
General Trass (Lake Providence) 38, North Iberville 6
Haynesville 61, Montgomery 0
Jeanerette 46, Grand Lake 24
Logansport 49, Elton 12
Mangham 44, West St. John 6
South Plaquemines 21, East Feliciana 6
Select=
Division I=
Alexandria 49, Evangel Christian Academy 6
Baton Rouge Catholic 42, East Jefferson 0
C.E. Byrd 37, Saint Paul’s 15
John Curtis Christian 28, Acadiana 27
Karr 56, Huntington 6
Division II=
E.D. White 51, Livingston Collegiate Academy 14
Leesville 42, Loyola Prep 24
Madison Prep 34, St. Charles Catholic 20
Shaw 49, Loranger 14
Vandebilt Catholic 49, Hannan 9
Division III=
Baton Rouge Episcopal 24, Pope John Paul 7
Bunkie 39, Amite 14
Calvary Baptist Academy 38, De La Salle 0
Dunham 42, Parkview Baptist 0
Lafayette Christian Academy 35, NDHS 28
New Iberia Catholic 59, Northlake Christian 22
Newman 49, D’Arbonne Woods 19
Sumner 48, Slaughter 28
Division IV=
Ascension Catholic 58, Opelousas Catholic 13
Covenant Christian Academy 41, Central Catholic 13
Kentwood 42, Ascension Episcopal 16
Ouachita Christian 28, Pointe Coupee Catholic 6
Riverside Academy 49, Hamilton Christian Academy 6
St. Edmund Catholic 78, St. Martin’s 37
Vermilion Catholic 47, Westminster Christian 17
If things go according to conservative lawmakers’ plan, Louisiana children will be tried as adults and sent to adult prisons more often in the future, because the Legislature could increase the number of crimes for which minors can be prosecuted as adults.
Oh, you thought Gov. Jeff Landry’s third special legislative session was all about tax reform?
You’re not wrong. Taxation is the main focus. But it’s not the only agenda item.
Even as lawmakers see crime decline across Louisiana, many still preach the myth that sending more children to adult facilities makes us all safer. It allows them to campaign on “lock ’em up” and “tough on crime” platforms.
State Sens. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, and Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, and state Rep. Debbie Villio, R-Kenner, quietly secured legislative approval of a proposed constitutional amendment toward that end in the just-ended special session. They were able to do it because most Louisianans remained focused on Gov. Jeff Landry’s efforts to reduce personal income taxes on the rich while raising Louisiana’s combined sales tax rate to the highest in the nation.
All the noise about tax reform provided the perfect cover for Cloud, Morris and Villio to find new ways to punish our youth. Their Senate Bill 2 glided through the legislative process without so much as a minor headwind.
Truth be told, Landry was right to call his third special session this year to push his tax reform ideas.
For far too long we haven’t had serious legislative debates about how best to raise Louisiana from near the bottom among states where businesses want to relocate and bring good jobs. The problem with focusing solely on tax reform is that businesses consider more than just taxation when they locate or expand. They also consider housing quality, employee-friendly laws and practices, quality K-12 and higher education, public safety and other quality-of-life factors.
Fortunately, overall crime has been declining in Louisiana.
That apparently means little to politicians who want to make crime more than a party-line talking point. Some simply want to put more people, especially minors, behind bars. The proposed constitutional amendment, if approved by voters, would allow lawmakers to treat 14-, 15- and 16-year-olds as adults without asking citizens if that’s what they want.
Our state constitution already allows lawmakers to authorize — by a two-thirds vote in each chamber — special juvenile procedures for minors charged with specific offenses:
- First- or second-degree murder
- Manslaughter
- Aggravated rape
- Armed robbery
- Aggravated burglary
- Aggravated kidnapping
- Attempted first-degree murder
- Attempted second-degree murder
- Forcible rape
- Simple rape
- Second-degree kidnapping.
- A second or subsequent aggravated battery
- A second or subsequent aggravated burglary
- A second or subsequent offense of burglary of an inhabited dwelling
- A second or subsequent felony-grade violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law or prohibited transactions in drug-related objects, involving the manufacture, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances.
If approved by voters, SB2’s proposed constitutional amendment would eliminate that list and let lawmakers alone — by a two-thirds vote, without voters’ consent — decide which crimes should be “adult” offenses for minors
Imagine the Legislature deciding that a 14-year-old should be tried as an adult because he stole from a store or got into a fight at school. SB2 proponents say some children can’t be rehabilitated. Sigh.
Fortunately, voters will get to decide whether such scared-straight tactics make sense — or will actually attract more businesses to Louisiana. Do SB2’s sponsors really think businesses will come here because we incarcerate more youth? Shouldn’t we instead promote early childhood education and care, healthy living and higher literacy rates?
The governor, the Louisiana District Attorneys Association and the Louisiana Sheriffs Association have endorsed SB2. But not everyone agrees with them.
“Senate Bill 2 is unnecessary and has the potential to end juvenile justice in Louisiana,” Laramie Griffin, founder of Evolve Louisiana, shared with me. “This bill does nothing to improve public safety.” Griffin added that the bill has an “invisible list,” meaning lawmakers could “add whichever law they choose without public vote.”
The proposed amendment will appear on the next statewide ballot, likely in March. A “yes” vote would let lawmakers decide which crimes committed by minors can land them behind bars with adult criminals. A “no” vote would keep the current list and rule in the constitution.
Let’s not wait to get through the holidays, the new year and Carnival to focus on what this means.
Now is the time to launch a “Vote No!” campaign.
Let’s tell the world that we can be business-friendly, socially responsible and compassionate toward children who make mistakes.
Huntington’s Jamarion Washington is a Times Athlete of the Week.
Huntington’s Jamarion Washington talks about his team playing Edna Karr in the LHSAA football playoffs
U.S. News & World Report has released a database comprised of the top elementary and middle schools in 2025 in each state.
The rankings of schools can even be narrowed down by city and district levels.
Top 10 elementary schools in Louisiana
There are numerous Louisiana elementary and middle schools ranked within U.S. News’ database, and here are the top ten best ranked elementary schools statewide in Louisiana.
No. 1 T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School
According to U.S. News, T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School, located in Lake Charles, is ranked number one in Louisiana elementary schools and is a part of Calcasieu Parish Public Schools.
The student population of T.S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School is 300, and the school serves K-5.
No. 2 Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies
According to U.S. News, Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies is ranked number two in Louisiana Elementary School and is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools.
Metairie Academy for Advanced Studies enrollment is 368 students, and the school is kindergarten through fifth grade.
No. 3 Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies
U.S. News says that Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies is number three in Louisiana Elementary Schools and is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools.
The student enrollment at Gretna No. 2 Academy for Advanced Studies is 357 and serves the grades pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 4 Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies in Metairie is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools and is ranked number four in Louisiana Elementary Schools, according to U.S. News.
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies’ enrollment is 418 students and teaches pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 5 South Highlands Elementary Magnet School
South Highlands Elementary Magnet School in Shreveport is a part of Caddo Parish Public Schools and is ranked number five in Louisiana Elementary Schools, says U.S. News.
The student enrollment at South Highlands Elementary Magnet School is 517 and the school serves grades pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 6 Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School
Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School is part of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools and is ranked number six in Louisiana Elementary Schools, according to U.S. News.
Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School’s student enrollment is 464 and the school serves pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 7 Fairfield Magnet School
Fairfield Magnet School, located in Shreveport, is a part of Caddo Parish Public Schools and is ranked number seven on U.S. News’ list of the top Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Fairfield Magnet School has a student enrollment of 515 and teaches pre-k through fifth grade.
No. 8 Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies
Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies is located in Westwego, which is a part of Jefferson Parish Schools, and is ranked number eight in U.S. News’ list of Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Ray St. Pierre Academy for Advanced Studies teaches pre-k through fifth grade and the enrollment is 336 students.
No. 9 Phoenix Magnet Elementary School
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School, located in Alexandria, is a part of Rapides Parish Public Schools and is ranked number nine in U.S. News’ list of the best Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School serves pre-k through fifth grade and student enrollment is 351.
No. 10 B.R. Foreign Language Academy Immersion Magnet
B.R. Foreign Language Academy Immersion Magnet is a part of East Baton Rouge Parish Schools and is ranked number ten in U.S. News’ list of Louisiana Elementary Schools.
Immersion Magnet’s student enrollment is 548 and serves pre-kindergarten through fifth grade.
15-year-old girl shot at McDonald’s in NW Miami-Dade; police believe shooting was accidental – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports | Fort Lauderdale
San Francisco D.A. announces conviction in 2015 quadruple murder
Game Day Guide: Stars at Lightning | Dallas Stars
Ex-Celtics Guard Offers Blunt Confession About Boston Departure
Arizona Cardinals at Seattle Seahawks Prediction: Odds, Best Bets, Player News, Injuries, and Stats
Colorado Rockies game no. 116 thread: Zac Gallen vs José Ureña
See it: Tesla crashes into Columbus convention center at 70 mph
Fox News Politics: Georgia the whole day through
Why Marjorie Taylor Greene was ‘kicked out’ of the Freedom Caucus according to Rep. Buck
Death of missing Oregon girl found in stream ruled homicide
From CDC to labor secretary: See Trump's top picks for Cabinet roles
WHO says mpox remains public health emergency of international concern
Trump names former Texas state Rep. Scott Turner to lead Housing and Urban Development
Video: Heavy Rains and Wind Wreak Havoc on the West Coast
'Conveyor belt of radicals': GOP slammed over Senate absences that helped Biden score more judges in lame duck
-
Business1 week ago
Column: OpenAI just scored a huge victory in a copyright case … or did it?
-
Health1 week agoBird flu leaves teen in critical condition after country's first reported case
-
Business6 days agoColumn: Molly White's message for journalists going freelance — be ready for the pitfalls
-
Science3 days agoTrump nominates Dr. Oz to head Medicare and Medicaid and help take on 'illness industrial complex'
-
Politics5 days agoTrump taps FCC member Brendan Carr to lead agency: 'Warrior for Free Speech'
-
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/25739950/247386_Elon_Musk_Open_AI_CVirginia.jpg "Inside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI")
Technology5 days agoInside Elon Musk’s messy breakup with OpenAI
-
Lifestyle5 days agoSome in the U.S. farm industry are alarmed by Trump's embrace of RFK Jr. and tariffs
-
World5 days agoProtesters in Slovakia rally against Robert Fico’s populist government
