BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — A Louisiana bill that would have carved out a path for incarcerated people convicted by now-banned split juries the opportunity to ask for a new trial was rejected by Republican state senators on Wednesday, likely killing the measure.

An estimated 1,000 people behind bars in the Deep South state were convicted by non-unanimous juries, a practice rooted in racism from the era of “Jim Crow” laws and deemed unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2020. Advocates say it is past time for Louisiana to right a wrong and to give those people a chance at a fair trial.

Proponents of the bill pointed to multiple examples of innocent people — since exonerated — who were wrongfully convicted by split juries and spent decades in prison. Supporters said the measure could have created a way for any other possibly innocent people behind bars who had been convicted by non-unanimous juries to seek another chance for a fair trial.

The bill would have added non-unanimous verdicts to a list of claims for which an inmate can seek a retrial. Proponents reiterated that the legislation would only have created the opportunity to do so and that it would not have automatically granted a retrial or release.

During debate in the state Senate on Wednesday, Republican lawmakers raised concerns about overburdening courts and district attorneys with additional trials. Proponents said whether a new trial is granted is ultimately at the discretion of district attorneys.

Opponents also raised concerns about the cases being decades-old with some witnesses possibly dead or evidence lost. Supporters countered that old cases are tried all the time and that transcripts of testimony from the original trials could be used.

“This is about what’s right, not about what’s easy or convenient,” Sen. Royce Duplessis, the New Orleans Democrat who authored the bill, said to his colleagues.

Louisiana adopted the practice of split jury convictions in 1898 during a constitutional convention that was fueled by efforts to maintain white supremacy after the Civil War. Diluting the voice of Black jurors allowed the often-white majority to determine the outcome.

Louisiana voters did not get rid of the practice until 2018, two years before the Supreme Court ruled that it was a violation of the 6th Amendment’s guarantee of the right to an impartial jury.

At the time, Louisiana and Oregon were the only states that allowed split decisions — 10-2 or 11-1 jury votes — to result in convictions. The Oregon Supreme Court granted new trials to hundreds of people. But Louisiana’s Supreme Court rejected arguments to apply the ruling retroactively.

“If we choose to vote down this bill we’re saying that justice has an expiration date,” Duplessis said. “We have an opportunity in Louisiana to remove this stain, because right now we are the only ones wearing it.”

The bill failed on a vote of 9-26, along party lines. Given the overwhelming lack of support for the bill in the Senate and that there is only a month left in this year’s Legislative Session, the measure currently has no viable path forward and is likely dead.

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A fire that ravaged Nottoway Plantation, one of the Deep South’s largest pre-Civil War mansions, sparked a wave of mixed reactions online, ranging from jubilation to dismay. The Louisiana landmark, where countless enslaved Africans once toiled, became a symbol of conflicting emotions as video footage of the blaze spread across social media.

For some, the fire represented a form of belated justice for the suffering endured by enslaved ancestors. The internet buzzed with memes and celebratory posts, some featuring the burning mansion set to Usher’s “Let It Burn,” while others amplified the crackling sounds of the fire to evoke a sense of catharsis.

Historian Mia Crawford-Johnson captured the sentiment with a grinning selfie taken near the charred remains, captioned, “Went and watched (Nottoway Plantation) burn to the ground!”

However, the fire also brought sadness to some. Nottoway Plantation had served as a popular venue for weddings and other celebrations, holding cherished memories for many. The destruction also represents a significant loss of historical record, erasing the physical testament to the ingenuity and skill of the enslaved people who built and maintained the plantation.

Preservationists say the jubilant reactions to the charred mansion reflect the trauma and anger many people, especially Black Americans, still carry over the history and legacy of chattel slavery in the United States. Antebellum era plantations were built under grueling conditions on the backs of enslaved people, and many are now sites of honor on the National Register of Historic Places.

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Some plantations try to ignore their past

But some plantations also de-emphasize or overlook their full histories, foregoing mentions of slavery altogether. That is why the “good riddance” sentiment seemed to outweigh expressions of grief over Nottoway Plantation, which makes no mention of enslaved former inhabitants on its website.

Many sites of enslavement in the U.S. have been repurposed as places that actively participate in the erasure of their history, said Ashley Rogers, executive director of the Whitney Plantation Museum, located 40 miles (65 kilometers) west of New Orleans. She said the burning of Nottoway is not actually part of the movement for preservation, since nothing was truly being done on the property to tell its full history.

“It was a resort,” Rogers said. “I don’t know that it being there or not being there has anything to do with how we preserve the history of slavery. They already weren’t.”

Joseph McGill, executive director of the Slave Dwelling Project, a nonprofit focused on helping the U.S. acknowledge its history with slavery, said the reaction from the Black community about Nottoway burning represents years of complicated emotions related to plantations. But as a preservationist, McGill said it is unfortunate Nottoway burned down, even if it was failing at telling history.

“I would like to see buildings preserved so that those buildings could tell the stories of all the people who inhabited those spaces,” McGill said. “We have been failing at that, but at least when the buildings are there the opportunity always exists to do the right thing.”

Nottoway Plantation became a resort and event venue

Before the fire, Nottoway was a resort and event venue, and its website described it as “the South’s largest remaining antebellum mansion.” Iberville Parish President Chris Daigle called the plantation “a cornerstone of our tourism economy and a site of national significance.”

The sprawling property exists on a former sugar plantation owned by sugar baron John Hampden Randolph. Located about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northwest of New Orleans, the 53,000-square-foot (4,924-square-meter) mansion had a three-story rotunda adorned with giant white columns and hand-carved Italian marble fireplaces, according to a description on its website. A brochure advertises 40 overnight rooms, a honeymoon suite, a lounge, fitness center, outdoor pool and cabana, among other resort features.

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In 1860, 155 enslaved people were held at the property, National Park Service records show.

After the blaze, which drew an emergency response from nearly a dozen fire departments from surrounding towns, the property’s owner said the fire had led to a “total loss” and that he hoped to rebuild the mansion.

Rogers said it is unfortunate Nottoway’s mansion burned down, as it did serve as a testament to the “skill of enslaved craftspeople and free people of color who built it and who did a lot of the incredible design work that was inside of that building.”

There are plenty of plantations, unlike Nottoway, that do not allow weddings or other celebratory events. For example, the Whitney, which documents slavery at a pre-Civil War plantation, draws tens of thousands of visitors annually and is known for centering the stories of enslaved people.

The Nottoway fire has also restarted a public discourse over plantations. Rogers, the Whitney museum director, said this is not new discourse, but can feel like such because there are not many places where productive conversations can be had about slavery and how to tell its history.

Racism and slavery dominate cultural debates

How, where and when to talk about the history of U.S. racism and slavery has dominated political and cultural debates in recent years. An executive order issued in March by the Trump White House seeks to root out “divisive, race-centered ideology” in the Smithsonian Institution, which operates a broad range of cultural centers in Washington. Among the order’s targets is the National Museum of African American History and Culture, a popular Smithsonian attraction that chronicles chattel slavery, Jim Crow segregation and its lingering effects.

Relatedly, plantations and other national historic sites with ties to civil rights have long been places where visitors and descendants of enslaved people go to learn about the past. But they are also places where visitors may encounter naysayers and deniers challenging the tour guide’s presentation about slavery.

Rogers said there are plenty of others sites besides Nottoway accurately telling Black history that need to be preserved.

“I don’t think one plantation burning down is going to change how we talk about slavery in this country,” she said. “All it does is exposes wounds that are already there.”

• The Louisiana House passed a bill banning DEI offices, training, and hiring policies in state agencies and public colleges.
• The bill sparked a heated debate, dividing largely along racial lines, with Black representatives opposing it as racially insensitive.
• Supporters argue the bill promotes unity and merit-based practices, while opponents express concern over its potential impact on minority groups and community relations.
• The bill now moves to the Senate, and if passed, Louisiana will join other Republican-led states restricting DEI policies.

BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana House Monday night passed a controversial bill that would prohibit diversity, equity and inclusion offices, training and hiring policies in state agencies and public colleges.

The bill passed, 57-32, after an emotional and deeply divided debate that largely fell along racial lines.

House Bill 685, by Rep. Emily Chenevert, R-Baton Rouge, now moves to the Senate. It is part of Gov. Jeff Landry’s legislative agenda.

Ten Black representatives spoke in opposition to the bill, calling it divisive, unnecessary, and racially insensitive.

“This is the most racially oppressive piece of legislation I have ever had to debate since I have been in office,” said Rep. Candace Newell, D-New Orleans.

The bill would ban mandatory DEI training and race- or gender-based hiring or admissions preferences. It also would eliminate public DEI offices and initiatives, including prohibiting required DEI coursework at public universities.

Chenevert said the bill aims to keep Louisiana compliant with President Donald Trump’s executive orders and protect the state’s federal funding. The Trump administration is investigating several universities nationwide, though Louisiana universities have not been targeted so far.

She stressed the bill does not ban teaching DEI concepts, only the requirement of DEI-focused coursework for graduation. She also raised concerns about fairness in sports.

“My biggest concern is that it has hurt more female athletes across this country than it has helped,” she said. “Biological men have taken the places of biological women.”

Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge, called the bill “a step backwards” and accused Chenevert of ignoring the benefits DEI programs have provided, especially for white women.

“Are you aware that more white women, like you, have benefitted from DEI than whoever you’re referring to?” Marcelle said. “If we had equal opportunity to be at the table, there would be no need for the program.” She added she was appalled a woman would bring this bill.

Rep. Terry Landry, D-New Iberia, sworn in just hours before the vote, said voters he spoke to during his campaign were not focused on DEI.

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“They’re worried about schooling for their children, the economy, state issues,” he said. “This bill is unnecessary.”

Rep. Rodney Lyons, D-Harvey, questioned the bill’s economic impact, particularly the elimination of the Department of Agriculture’s Minority Affairs Program, which supports minority and veteran farmers, a large portion of the state’s agricultural community.

Marcelle also warned the bill could interfere with police training on race and community relations.

Supporters said the legislation promotes unity and merit.

“I keep hearing diversity is what makes us strong, but it is not,” said Rep. Beryl Amedee, R-Gray, defending Chenevert. “What makes us strong is unity… There’s only one race, and it’s human.”

Rep. Chuck Owen, R-Rosepine, expressed his frustration with the debate. “I see us talking past each other,” he said. “I hear us talking past each other.”

The bill requires annual compliance reports and tasks the legislative auditor with enforcement. An accompanying fiscal note projects minor cost savings, including $174,000 from cutting the Agriculture Department’s DEI office.

If passed by the Senate and signed into law, Louisiana would join a growing number of Republican-led states rolling back public DEI policies.

Chenevert became emotional in her closing remarks, saying everyone views the issue differently. She framed her perspective from a biblical viewpoint, emphasizing that no matter our skin tone, “we all share the same blood.”