Louisiana

One facet of Louisiana’s public records law is never enforced • Alabama Reflector

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2024

One facet of Louisiana’s public records law is never enforced • Alabama Reflector

Officials in Louisiana will soon be free to disregard state public records law at no risk if Gov. Jeff Landry signs into law a bill that currently sits on his desk. One expert says it will change nothing because courts have never enforced that part of the law anyway.

House Bill 768, sponsored by Rep. Les Farnum, R-Sulphur, repeals a statute within the public records law that makes the records custodian of a government agency personally liable for unreasonably withholding records or failing to respond to a public records request.

Under current law, courts can consider custodian liability when a requester sues the government agency that withheld the records. The custodian can be forced to pay a fine of $100 per day and attorney fees of the person who was denied access to the records.

Farnum’s bill repeals that provision, stating that “no person shall be liable for any penalty … attorney fees and other costs of litigation assessed for failure to comply” with the law. Instead, the government body shall be responsible for such penalties.

Some lawmakers argued public records custodians have little authority in how to respond to requests and merely serve as liaisons between the person making the request and the public official who ultimately decides whether to provide or withhold a record.

During House floor debate on the bill in April, Farnum said it is unfair to hold custodians personally liable because they “are probably very low-paid employees just doing what they’re told to do.”

Current law says differently. Such low-level employees don’t fit the definition of “custodian,” and a government agency can choose whether and whom to designate as an official records custodian. At larger agencies, it is often a division head or staff attorney. Many smaller government offices don’t have a designated custodian. If that is the case, the law defines the custodian as the head of the agency or the official who has actual control over a public record.

Also, current law provides an exception that states a custodian shall not be held personally liable if they deny a records request on the advice of an attorney representing the agency.

Rather than providing a shield for low-paid employees just following orders, Farnum’s bill would likely protect the wallets of officials at the very top who issue those orders to withhold records from the public — shifting the entire financial penalty onto taxpayers.

Some lawmakers during the floor debate pointed out that without personal liability, government officials will have little reason to follow the law when it comes to public records. But according to one public records expert, that is pretty much the situation already in Louisiana.

Scott Sternberg, a First Amendment lawyer who represents members of the Louisiana Press Association in public records disputes, said the legislation is unlikely to make things worse than they already are because courts almost never enforce the custodian liability law.

Sternberg defended The Advocate reporter Andrea Gallo, who then-Attorney General Landry sued in 2021 for filing a public records request with his office. Many critics saw the move as an obvious, if not egregious, violation of the public records law. The judge ruled against Landry but denied the reporter’s claim for penalties under the statute that Farnum’s bill is repealing.

“That’s not [a bill] that I was particularly interested in because it never happens anyway,” Sternberg said in a text message.

Farnum’s legislation sailed through the Capitol with little scrutiny in a session that saw multiple bills that threatened to weaken or repeal state public records law, most spearheaded by the governor.

Sternberg focused more on a measure from Sen. Heather Cloud, R-Turkey Creek, that would have almost entirely negated the public records law, and a proposal by Rep. Michael Melerine, R-Shreveport, that would have exempted the governor from having to follow the public records law. Neither made it through the Legislature.

Also notable was a bill from Rep. Steven Jackson, D-Shreveport, that will allow local governments to hide economic development records from the public for up to two years. That proposal passed the Legislature and is also pending consideration by the governor.

Louisiana lawmakers have gradually chipped away at the state’s public records law, adopting hundreds of changes to revoke public access to a long list of government documents since it was enacted in 1940.

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Louisiana

Louisiana lands another $10 billion AI data center

Published

3 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana lands another billion AI data center

Hut 8 is building a new $10 billion artificial intelligence data center in Louisiana’s West Feliciana Parish.
The project is expected to employ more than 1,000 construction workers at its peak.
AI company Anthropic has signed a long-term deal to use the new facility.
This is the second major data center project announced in Louisiana, following Meta’s investment in Richland Parish.

Louisiana has finalized details on another $10 billion data center, this one from Hut 8 in West Feliciana Parish.,

Hut 8, which develops and operates an integrated portfolio of power, digital infrastructure and compute assets, said more than 1,000 construction workers will be on site of its River Bend artificial intelligence (AI) data center campus at its peak.

Anthropic, an artificial intelligence company whose flagship chatbot is Claude, has signed a long-term deal to use the facility, Hut 8 and the state announced Dec. 17.

“It’s a transformational and generational project for our parish and region,” West Feliciana Parish President Kenny Havard said in an interview with USA Today Network. “The possibilities really are endless.”

The official announcement and details come after months of preparation from the parish government and its partnership with the state for the data center on which construction has been underway for months.

It’s the second $10 billion plus data center announced in Louisiana during the past two years. Meta’s massive data center project is under way in northeastern Louisiana’s Richland Parish. Meta originally announced a $10 billion investment but has since increased that scope to at least $25 billion.

“Hut 8’s investment in River Bend builds on our track record of attracting global-scale projects in the industries of the future,” Gov. Jeff Landry said in a statement. “As the campus grows, it will further cement Louisiana’s position as a national leader in energy and innovation, creating thousands of jobs and reaffirming our ability to compete and win on the global stage.”

Construction is scheduled to be complete in the second quarter of 2027.

“River Bend demonstrates that Louisiana’s economic strategy is taking our state from plans to progress,” Louisiana Economic Development Secretary Susan Bourgeois said in a statement. “This project will generate high-wage jobs and create pathways for Louisianans to build long-term careers in the industries of the future. It’s a clear example of how aligning policy, partnership and people translates into lasting opportunity.”

Greg Hilburn covers state politics for the USA TODAY Network of Louisiana. Follow him on Twitter @GregHilburn1.

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Louisiana

Louisiana man arrested for allegedly planning attack in New Orleans – UPI.com

Published

15 hours ago

December 17, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana man arrested for allegedly planning attack in New Orleans – UPI.com

Dec. 16 (UPI) — A suspect identified as Micah James Legnon has been arrested by agents from the FBI’s New Iberia office for allegedly planning an attack on federal agents.

Legnon, 29, was a member of the Turtle Island Liberation Front and had communicated with four members who were charged with allegedly planning a series of New Year’s Eve terrorist attacks in the Greater Los Angeles area on Monday, WDSU reported.

He is a resident of New Iberia and was arrested on Friday while driving to New Orleans after FBI agents saw him loading a military-style rifle and body armor into his vehicle and telling others in a Signal chat group that he was traveling to New Orleans.

New Iberia is located about 120 miles west of New Orleans, and Legnon allegedly shared a video that showed multiple firearms, gas canisters and body armor before leaving on Friday.

In that post, Legnon said he was “On my way to NOLA now, be there in about two hours,” but the FBI arrested him while driving east on U.S. Highway 90, according to WWL-TV.

In a Dec. 4 post, Legnon shared a Facebook post showing Customs and Border Protection agents arresting someone and said he wanted to “recreate Waco, Texas,” on the federal officers while referencing the 1993 federal siege on the Branch Davidians compound there.

He is a former Marine who was trained in combat and a self-professed satanist who used the alias “Black Witch” in group chats with four suspects accused of targeting locations throughout California.

Federal prosecutors filed a federal complaint against Legnon and asked the magistrate judge to seal it and related records due to an ongoing investigation.

They asked that it be unsealed on Tuesday, which is a day after the four suspects accused of planning the California terror attacks were charged with related crimes.

The FBI said Legnon had been communicating with the four suspects in California before the arrests were made and charges filed in the respective cases.

The Turtle Island Liberation Front is a far-left, anti-government, anti-capitalist and pro-Palestinian group, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi.

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Louisiana

Louisiana gets $15 million for literacy tutoring study initiative

Published

1 day ago

December 16, 2025

Press Room

Louisiana gets million for literacy tutoring study initiative

BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana First) — The Louisiana Department of Education announced Tuesday it was awarded $15 million to lead a study on the increasing impact of high-dosage tutoring.

The grant came from the U.S. Department of Education’s Education Innovation and Research program. State education leaders said the money will fund a five-year study to expand the impact of high-dosage literacy tutoring for students in grades 1-2 who are below grade level in reading.

“Louisiana has shown what’s possible when states are trusted to lead,” said State Superintendent of Education Dr. Cade Brumley. “We are grateful to the U.S. Department of Education for their confidence in our strategy and for investing in a Louisiana-designed solution to accelerate student literacy.”

Education Secretary Linda McMahon said making literacy outcomes stronger throughout the nation is one of her top priorities.

“Every dollar from this year’s EIR awards will support the use and expansion of evidence-based literacy instruction, expand education choice, and empower grant recipients to build and sustain high-quality literacy support systems for students. This is a huge opportunity for states to lead, and they are rising to the occasion,” she said.

Sen. Bill Cassidy, who joined McMahon in an August education roundtable in Baton Rouge, celebrated the funding. “Strong literacy skills are the foundation for everything that comes next in school and in life,” he said. “Louisiana has shown real progress, and this funding helps take what’s working and expand it so more students can succeed.”

Schools with low literacy proficiency rates will be prioritized. Air Reading, Studyyville, Johns Hopkins University and Louisiana higher education institutions will be key partnerships in the project.