Republican Attorney General Sued to Ensure LGBT People Did Not Have Protections
A Louisiana judge has just ruled that an executive order protecting LGBT workers signed by Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards (photo) is unconstitutional. Judge Todd Hernandez, first elected to the 19th Judicial District Court in 2001, handed a win to the state’s anti-LGBT attorney general, Jeff Landry, who sued the governor.
Governor Bel Edwards believes LGBT workers should have the right to not suffer workplace discrimination. Landry disagreed. The executive order, which applies only to state contracts and government workers, exempts religious organizations.
The attorney general has refused to implement contracts with the state that include protections for LGBT workers.
UPDATE I: 1:17 PM EST –
Via ABC News:
Judge Hernandez said Gov. Bel Edwards exceeded his authority by seeking to create or expand state law.
Landry framed his win by saying the ruling is “upholding the checks and balances on executive authority as established in our state constitution.”
UPDATE II: 1:40 PM EST –
Judge Hernandez in 2015 refused to toss out a lawsuit by the ACLU that challenged outgoing GOP governor Bobby Jindal’s executive order, the “Marriage and Conscience Order,” that protected people of faith who opposed same-sex marriage from state sanctions.
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