Louisiana

The case for reforming Louisiana’s eviction process

Published

1 year ago

April 1, 2025

Critics are trying to reform Louisiana’s eviction process and stop justices of the peace, which handle such cases, from collecting thousands in fees each year, Louisiana Illuminator reports.

State law allows justices of the peace to charge defendants $120 for each eviction case they handle plus another $20 for each additional defendant. To execute the eviction, their courts receive $60 per case and another $20 per defendant.

Critics allege that some judges are scheduling multiple evictions by the same landlord to be decided in rapid succession.

The organizations suing Steven Sanders, an East Baton Rouge Parish justice of the peace, say he handles 300 to 400 evictions a week. The seemingly expedited eviction process is at the heart of the lawsuit against Sanders, whose caseload generated nearly $2.7 million in court fee revenue from 2019 to 2023 based on figures from the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s office.

Sanders’ total court expenses averaged less than $20,000 annually over that same period, leaving revenue for him to tap into to augment his base salary of around $5,000 a year that the state allocates.

Sanders’ take-home pay from 2019 to 2023 averaged $232,419 a year, making him the highest-paid justice of the peace in East Baton Rouge Parish, according to reports filed with the office. That places him well ahead of the average salaries for state district court judges ($173,788) and Louisiana Supreme Court justices ($193,227).

“It’s a very, very lucrative business,” says Hannah Adams, a plaintiff’s attorney with the National Housing Law Project.

The State Attorney General’s office, which represents local justices of the peace in legal matters, declined to comment on the lawsuit. Reached by phone Monday, Sanders said he could not discuss the pending litigation under advisement from the attorney general.

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Louisiana

Louisiana-based study: Bariatric surgery holds promise for young patients

Published

7 hours ago

July 13, 2026

Press Room

Louisiana-based study: Bariatric surgery holds promise for young patients

A new study from researchers at LSU’s Pennington Biomedical Research Center, FMOL Health | Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center, and the Metamor Institute found that metabolic and bariatric surgery can be delivered safely and effectively for adolescents and young adults living with severe obesity, leading to significant weight loss and improvements in obesity-related health conditions.

Published in Obesity Surgery, the study examined outcomes from 76 patients ages 10 to 25 who underwent bariatric surgery through a Louisiana-based program at the Metamor Institute between January 2020 and March 2025. Researchers evaluated safety outcomes as well as longer-term health improvements associated with surgical obesity treatment.

The study found that patients achieved an average total body weight loss of 29%-32% maintained over one to five years. Among patients with available follow-up data, 94% experienced remission of type 2 diabetes, 67% showed improvement in hypertension and dyslipidemia and 64% experienced improvement in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Surgical complications remained low, with only 5% of patients experiencing complications within 30 days of surgery.

Researchers noted that these outcomes were likely supported by a comprehensive, multidisciplinary care model that included experienced surgeons, nutritional guidance, behavioral support and coordinated medical follow-up. The study population represented a broad cross-section of Louisiana patients, with nearly 75% covered by Medicaid, highlighting the importance of ensuring access to effective obesity treatment options across socioeconomic backgrounds.

The findings support current American Academy of Pediatrics recommendations that adolescents age 13 and older with severe obesity and related health risks be evaluated for metabolic and bariatric surgery as part of comprehensive, evidence-based obesity care.

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Louisiana

Meta’s Louisiana Data Center to Surpass $250 Billion Price Tag

Published

19 hours ago

July 13, 2026

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Meta’s Louisiana Data Center to Surpass 0 Billion Price Tag

Meta Platforms Inc. has committed to spending an additional $40 billion on its sprawling data center campus in Louisiana, pushing its total expected investment beyond $250 billion for the site as it continues to grow its artificial intelligence computing footprint.

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Louisiana

DeRidder man found dead in Sabine River

Published

1 day ago

July 12, 2026

Press Room

NEWTON COUNTY, Texas. (KPLC) – A DeRidder man reported missing was found dead in the Sabine River Sunday morning, according to the Newton County Sheriff’s Office.

Newton County Sheriff Colton Havard said Jordan Jamal Allen was located around 7:50 a.m. on July 12 with help from Texas Parks and Wildlife game wardens, the Beauregard Parish Sheriff’s Office, and 409 Search and Rescue.

Authorities say the body was recovered not far from where Allen went under Friday night near the U.S. 190 bridge east of Bon Wier at the Texas-Louisiana state line.

The sheriff said that Allen and a woman were said to be wading across the river Friday when the current began pulling the woman.

The sheriff said Allen tried to help her, but went under around 8:45 p.m. and wasn’t seen again. He said the woman made it back to land safely.

We will have more in this story as it develops.

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