Editing Louisiana (section)

==Law and government==
{{Politics of Louisiana}}
<!--This section is linked from [[Law of the United Kingdom]]-->
:{{Further|List of Louisiana Governors|Louisiana law|Louisiana Constitution}}
[[File:Louisiana State Capitol Building.jpg|thumb|upright|The [[Louisiana State Capitol]] in Baton Rouge, the [[Heights of state capitols|tallest state capitol building]] in the United States]]
[[File:LAGovMansion.JPG|right|thumb|The Louisiana Governor's Mansion]]

In 1849, the state moved the capital from New Orleans to [[Baton Rouge]]. [[Donaldsonville, Louisiana|Donaldsonville]], [[Opelousas, Louisiana|Opelousas]], and [[Shreveport, Louisiana|Shreveport]] have briefly served as the seat of Louisiana state government. The [[Louisiana State Capitol]] and the [[Louisiana Governor's Mansion]] are both located in Baton Rouge. The [[Louisiana Supreme Court]], however, did not move to Baton Rouge but remains headquartered in New Orleans.

Louisiana has six [[congressional district]]s and is represented in the [[United States House of Representatives|U.S. House of Representatives]] by four Republicans and two Democrats. Louisiana had eight votes in the [[United States Electoral College|Electoral College]] for the [[2020 United States presidential election in Louisiana|2020 election]].

In a 2020 study, Louisiana was ranked as the 24th hardest state for citizens to vote in.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=J. Pomante II |first1=Michael |last2=Li |first2=Quan |title=Cost of Voting in the American States: 2020 |journal=Election Law Journal: Rules, Politics, and Policy |date=December 15, 2020 |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=503–509 |doi=10.1089/elj.2020.0666 |s2cid=225139517 |doi-access=free }}</ref> Louisiana has one of the most restrictive [[Abortion in Louisiana|abortion]] laws in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |title=Louisiana |url=https://reproductiverights.org/maps/state/louisiana |website=Center for Reproductive Rights |access-date=24 June 2024}}</ref>

The [[Louisiana State Penitentiary|Louisiana State Penitentiary, Angola]] is the largest [[Types of US federal prisons|maximum-security prison]] in the United States.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Simone |first=Paul James |title=Top 10 worst prisons in the United States – Exploring-USA |date=May 12, 2022 |url=https://exploring-usa.com/worst-prisons-united-states/ |access-date=2022-11-05 |language=en-US |archive-date=November 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221105142111/https://exploring-usa.com/worst-prisons-united-states/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
Louisiana is divided into 64 [[Parish (administrative division)|parishes]] (the equivalent of [[County (United States)|counties]] in most other states).<ref name="nativeamericans">{{Handbook of Texas|id=bzi04|name=Native Americans}}</ref>
*[[List of parishes in Louisiana]]
*[[Louisiana census statistical areas]]

Most parishes have an elected government known as the Police Jury,<ref>{{cite web|title=What is the Police Jury? – Acadia Parish Police Jury|url=http://www.appj.org/what-is-the-police-jury/|access-date=2021-08-10|language=en-US|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810175757/http://www.appj.org/what-is-the-police-jury/|url-status=live}}</ref> dating from the colonial days. It is the legislative and executive government of the parish, and is elected by the voters. Its members are called Jurors, and together they elect a president as their chairman.

A more limited number of parishes operate under [[home rule]] charters, electing various forms of government. This include mayor–council, council–manager (in which the council hires a professional operating manager for the parish), and others.

===Civil law===
The Louisiana political and legal structure has maintained several elements from the times of French and Spanish governance. One is the use of the term "[[parish (Louisiana)|parish]]" (from the French: {{Lang|fr|paroisse}}) in place of "[[County (United States)|county]]" for administrative subdivision.<ref>{{cite web|title=Why parishes? The story behind Louisiana's unique map|url=https://www.nola.com/300/article_114112d3-89f7-5044-801b-b4a9fe981938.html|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-10|website=NOLA.com|date=September 8, 2017 |language=en|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810175757/https://www.nola.com/300/article_114112d3-89f7-5044-801b-b4a9fe981938.html}}</ref> Another is the legal system of [[civil law (legal system)|civil law]] based on French, German, and Spanish [[legal code]]s and ultimately [[Roman law]], as opposed to English [[common law]].

Louisiana's civil law system is what the majority of [[sovereign state]]s in the world use, especially in Europe and its former colonies, excluding those that derive their legal systems from the [[British Empire]]. However, it is incorrect to equate the [[Louisiana Civil Code]] with the [[Napoleonic Code]]. Although the Napoleonic Code and Louisiana law draw from common legal roots, the Napoleonic Code was never in force in Louisiana, as it was enacted in 1804, after the United States had [[Louisiana Purchase|purchased]] and annexed Louisiana in 1803.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.louisiana.gov/about-louisiana/|title=About Louisiana|website=Louisiana.gov|access-date=2021-11-10|archive-date=November 11, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211111060352/https://www.louisiana.gov/about-louisiana/|url-status=live}}</ref>

The Louisiana Civil Code is the controlling authority on civil matters in the state and has been continuously revised and updated since its enactment in 1808. While some of the differences between the legal systems have been bridged due to the strong influence of common law tradition,<ref name="kinsellalaw">{{cite web|url=http://www.kinsellalaw.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/dictionary.pdf |title=A Civil Law to Common Law Dictionary |access-date=December 7, 2010 |last=Kinsella |first=Norman |year=1997 |website=KinsellaLaw.com |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101225105448/http://www.kinsellalaw.com/wp-content/uploads/publications/dictionary.pdf |archive-date=December 25, 2010 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the civil law tradition is still deeply rooted in most aspects of Louisiana private law.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}} Thus property, contractual, business entities structure, much of civil procedure, and family law, as well as some aspects of criminal law, are based mostly on traditional Roman legal thinking.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

===Marriage===
In 1997, Louisiana became the first state to offer the option of a traditional marriage or a [[covenant marriage]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://marriage.about.com/cs/covenantmarriage/a/covenant.htm |title=Covenant Marriage—Pros and Cons |publisher=Marriage.about.com |date=January 1, 2012 |access-date=February 18, 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120307225008/http://marriage.about.com/cs/covenantmarriage/a/covenant.htm |archive-date=March 7, 2012 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In a covenant marriage, the couple waives their right to a "no-fault" divorce after six months of separation, which is available in a traditional marriage. To divorce under a covenant marriage, a couple must demonstrate cause. Marriages between ascendants and descendants, and marriages between collaterals within the fourth degree (i.e., siblings, aunt and nephew, uncle and niece, first cousins) are prohibited.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=111053|title=Louisiana Law Search|website=Legis.state.la.us|access-date=January 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618043512/http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=111053|archive-date=June 18, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Same-sex marriage]]s were prohibited by statute,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=111041|title=Louisiana Law Search|website=Legis.state.la.us|access-date=January 17, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618043507/http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=111041|archive-date=June 18, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>[[Louisiana Civil Code]] [https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=110540 §3520B] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711001705/https://legis.la.gov/legis/Law.aspx?d=110540 |date=July 11, 2015 }}</ref> but the [[Supreme Court of the United States|U.S. Supreme Court]] declared such bans unconstitutional in 2015 in ''[[Obergefell v. Hodges]]''. [[LGBT rights in Louisiana|Same-sex marriages are now performed statewide]]. Louisiana is a [[community property]] state.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=109401|title=Louisiana Law Search|website=Legis.state.la.us|access-date=August 30, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081220125649/http://www.legis.state.la.us/lss/lss.asp?doc=109401|archive-date=December 20, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Elections===
{{Main|Elections in Louisiana|Political party strength in Louisiana|Louisiana congressional districts}}
[[File:United States presidential election in Louisiana, 2016.svg|thumb|right|upright=1.4|[[Treemap]] of the popular vote by parish, 2016 presidential election]]
{{PresHead|place=Louisiana|whig=yes|source=<ref>{{cite web|url=https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=22&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|title=Presidential General Election Results Comparison – Louisiana|publisher=US Election Atlas|access-date=October 27, 2022|author=Leip, David|archive-date=October 28, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221028022829/https://uselectionatlas.org/RESULTS/compare.php?year=2008&fips=22&f=1&off=0&elect=0&type=state|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
<!-- PresRow should be {{PresRow|Year|Winning party|GOP vote #|Dem vote #|3rd party vote #|State}} -->
{{PresRow|2024|Republican|1,208,505|766,870|31,600|Louisiana}}{{PresRow|2020|Republican|1,255,776|856,034|36,252|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2016|Republican|1,178,638|780,154|70,240|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2012|Republican|1,152,262|809,141|32,662|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2008|Republican|1,148,275|782,989|29,497|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2004|Republican|1,102,169|820,299|20,638|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|2000|Republican|927,871|792,344|45,441|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1996|Democratic|712,586|927,837|143,536|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1992|Democratic|733,386|815,971|240,660|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1988|Republican|883,702|717,460|27,040|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1984|Republican|1,037,299|651,586|17,937|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1980|Republican|792,853|708,453|47,285|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1976|Democratic|587,446|661,365|29,628|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1972|Republican|686,852|298,142|66,497|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1968|American Independent|257,535|309,615|530,300|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1964|Republican|509,225|387,068|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1960|Democratic|230,980|407,339|169,572|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1956|Republican|329,047|243,977|44,520|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1952|Democratic|306,925|345,027|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1948|Dixiecrat|72,657|136,344|207,335|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1944|Democratic|67,750|281,564|69|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1940|Democratic|52,446|319,751|108|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1936|Democratic|36,791|292,894|93|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1932|Democratic|18,853|249,418|533|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1928|Democratic|51,160|164,655|18|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1924|Democratic|24,670|93,218|4,063|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1920|Democratic|38,538|87,519|339|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1916|Democratic|6,466|79,875|6,641|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1912|Democratic|3,833|60,871|14,544|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1908|Democratic|8,958|63,568|2,591|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1904|Democratic|5,205|47,708|995|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1900|Democratic|14,234|53,668|4|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1896|Democratic|22,037|77,175|1,834|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1892|Democratic|26,963|87,926|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1888|Democratic|30,660|85,032|199|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1884|Democratic|46,347|62,594|458|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1880|Democratic|38,978|65,047|437|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1876|Republican|75,315|70,508|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1872|Republican|71,663|57,029|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1868|Democratic|33,263|80,225|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1860|Southern Democratic|0|7,625|42,885|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1856|Democratic|0|22,164|20,709|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1852|Democratic|17,255|18,647|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1848|Whig|18,487|15,379|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1844|Democratic|13,083|13,782|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresRow|1840|Whig|11,296|7,616|0|Louisiana}}
{{PresFoot|1836|Democratic|3,583|3,842|0|Louisiana}}

From 1898 to 1965, a period when Louisiana had effectively [[Disfranchisement after the Civil War|disfranchised]] most African Americans and many poor whites by provisions of a new constitution,<ref name="GWUweb">{{cite web|title=Reading the Fine Print: The Grandfather Clause in Louisiana|url=http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5352/|website=History Matters: The U.S. Survey Course on the Web|publisher=George Washington University|access-date=October 11, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131031073422/http://historymatters.gmu.edu/d/5352|archive-date=October 31, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> this was essentially a one-party state dominated by white Democrats. Elites had control in the early 20th century, before populist [[Huey Long]] came to power as governor.<ref name="Cashman">{{cite book|last=Cashman|first=Sean Dennis|title=African-Americans and the Quest for Civil Rights, 1900–1990|year=1991|publisher=New York University Press|isbn=9780814714416|page=[https://archive.org/details/africanamericans00cash/page/8 8]|url=https://archive.org/details/africanamericans00cash|url-access=registration|access-date=July 1, 2015}}</ref> In multiple acts of resistance, blacks left behind the segregation, violence and oppression of the state and moved out to seek better opportunities in northern and western industrial cities during the [[Great Migration (African American)|Great Migrations]] of 1910–1970, markedly reducing their proportion of population in Louisiana. The franchise for whites was expanded somewhat during these decades, but blacks remained essentially disfranchised until after the [[civil rights movement]] of the mid-20th century, gaining enforcement of their constitutional rights through passage by Congress of the [[Voting Rights Act of 1965]].

Since the 1960s, when civil rights legislation was passed under President [[Lyndon Johnson]] to protect voting and civil rights, most African Americans in the state have affiliated with the Democratic Party. In the same years, many white social conservatives have moved to support Republican Party candidates in national, gubernatorial and statewide elections. In 2004, [[David Vitter]] was the first Republican in Louisiana to be popularly elected as a U.S. senator.<ref>{{cite web|title=David Vitter|url=https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-114sdoc24/html/CDOC-114sdoc24.htm|url-status=live|access-date=2021-08-10|website=www.govinfo.gov|archive-date=August 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210810175755/https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/CDOC-114sdoc24/html/CDOC-114sdoc24.htm}}</ref> The previous Republican senator, [[John S. Harris]], who took office in 1868 during Reconstruction, was chosen by the state legislature under the rules of the 19th century.

Louisiana is unique among U.S. states in using a system for its state and local elections similar to that of modern France. All candidates, regardless of party affiliation, run in a [[nonpartisan blanket primary]] (or "jungle primary") on [[Election Day (United States)|Election Day]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Review Types of Elections|url=https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/ReviewTypesOfElections/Pages/default.aspx|access-date=2021-08-10|website=www.sos.la.gov|archive-date=August 19, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210819025824/https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/GetElectionInformation/ReviewTypesOfElections/Pages/default.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> If no candidate has more than 50% of the vote, the two candidates with the highest vote totals compete in a runoff election approximately one month later. This run-off method does not take into account party identification; therefore, it is not uncommon for a Democrat to be in a runoff with a fellow Democrat or a Republican to be in a runoff with a fellow Republican.

Congressional races have also been held under the jungle primary system. All other states (except [[Washington Initiative 872 (2004)|Washington]], [[California Proposition 14 (2010)|California]], and [[Maine]]) use single-party primaries followed by a general election between party candidates, each conducted by either a [[plurality voting system]] or [[Two-round system|runoff voting]], to elect senators, representatives, and statewide officials. Between 2008 and 2010, federal [[United States Congress|congressional]] elections were run under a closed primary system—limited to registered party members. However, on the passage of House Bill 292, Louisiana again adopted a nonpartisan blanket primary for its federal congressional elections.

Louisiana has six seats in the [[U.S. House of Representatives]], five of which are currently held by Republicans and one by a Democrat. Though the state historically flips between Republican and Democratic governors, Louisiana is not classified as a [[swing state]] in presidential elections, and has it has been considered a [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party stronghold]] since the 21st century.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Brasted |first=Chelsea |date=2024-11-04 |title=Why Louisiana votes Republican, even with more registered Democrats on its rolls |url=https://www.axios.com/local/new-orleans/2024/11/04/why-does-louisiana-vote-republican |access-date=2024-12-19 |website=Axios |language=en}}</ref> Louisiana's incumbent governor is [[Republican Party of Louisiana|Republican]] [[Jeff Landry]], and the state's two U.S. senators are [[Bill Cassidy]] (R) and [[John Neely Kennedy]] (R).

{| class=wikitable style="float:center"
! colspan = 6 | Louisiana's party registration as of May 1, 2025<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Pages/RegistrationStatisticsStatewide.aspx |title=Registration Statistics – Statewide |publisher=Louisiana Secretary of State |date=May 6, 2025 |access-date=May 6, 2025 |archive-date=April 11, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220411071348/https://www.sos.la.gov/ElectionsAndVoting/Pages/RegistrationStatisticsStatewide.aspx |url-status=live }}</ref>
|-
! colspan = 2 | Party
! Total voters
! Percentage
|-
| {{party color cell|Democratic Party (US)}}
| [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
| align=center | 1,098,001
| align=center | 36.85%
|-
| {{party color cell|Republican Party (US)}}
| [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=center | 1,049,697
| align=center | 35.23%
|-
| {{party color cell|Other parties (US)}}
| [[List of political parties in the United States|Other]]
| align=center | 832,101 
| align=center | 27.92%
|-
! colspan = 2 | Total
! align=center | 2,979,799 
! align=center | 100.00%
|}

===Law enforcement===
{{See also|List of law enforcement agencies in Louisiana}}
Louisiana's statewide police force is the [[Louisiana State Police]]. In 1988, the Criminal Investigation Bureau was reorganized.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lsp.org/about_hist.html |title=Louisiana State Police—About Us—LSP History |publisher=Lsp.org |access-date=April 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140504001036/http://www.lsp.org/about_hist.html |archive-date=May 4, 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Its troopers have statewide jurisdiction with power to enforce all laws of the state, including city and parish ordinances. Each year, they patrol over {{convert|12|e6mi|e6km|abbr=off}} of roadway and arrest about 10,000 impaired drivers. The State Police are primarily a traffic enforcement agency, with other sections that delve into trucking safety, narcotics enforcement, and gaming oversight.
[[File:Spanish Town Mardi Gras 2015 - 15922509443.jpg|thumb|Mardi Gras celebrations in the Spanish Town section of Baton Rouge]]

The elected sheriff in each parish is its chief law enforcement officer. They are the keepers of the local parish prisons, which house felony and misdemeanor prisoners. They are the primary criminal patrol and first responder agency in all matters criminal and civil. They are also the official tax collectors in each parish. The sheriffs are responsible for general law enforcement in their respective parishes, with the exception of Orleans Parish where this falls to the New Orleans Police Department. Before 2010, Orleans Parish was the only parish to have two sheriff's offices, with a different elected sheriff overseeing civil and criminal matters. In 2006, a bill was passed which eventually consolidated the two sheriff's departments into one parish sheriff responsible for both.<ref>{{cite web|title=Louisiana Laws – Louisiana State Legislature|url=http://legis.la.gov/Legis/LawPrint.aspx?d=763316|access-date=December 23, 2020|website=legis.la.gov|archive-date=March 10, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210310103305/http://legis.la.gov/Legis/LawPrint.aspx?d=763316|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, Louisiana had a higher murder rate (10.3 per 100,000) than any other state in the country for the 27th straight year. Louisiana is the only state with an annual average murder rate (13.6 per 100,000) at least twice as high as the U.S. annual average (6.6 per 100,000) during that period, according to Bureau of Justice Statistics from FBI Uniform Crime Reports. In a different kind of criminal activity, the ''[[Chicago Tribune]]'' reports that Louisiana is the most corrupt state in the United States.<ref>{{cite news|last=Witt|first=Howard|title=Most corrupt state: Louisiana ranked higher than Illinois|url=http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-corruption-louisiana_wittmar27,0,2957672.story|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|date=March 27, 2009|access-date=June 2, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120602125255/http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-corruption-louisiana_wittmar27,0,2957672.story|archive-date=June 2, 2012|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a 2012 article in ''[[Times Picayune|The Times Picayune]]'', Louisiana is the prison capital of the world. Many [[Private prison|for-profit]] private prisons and sheriff-owned prisons have been built and operate here. Louisiana's incarceration rate is nearly five times Iran's, 13 times China's and 20 times Germany's. Minorities are incarcerated at rates disproportionate to their share of the state's population.<ref>{{cite web |author=Cindy Chang |website=The Times-Picayune |url=http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/05/louisiana_is_the_worlds_prison.html |title=Louisiana is the world's prison capital |date=May 13, 2012 |publisher=Nola.com |access-date=April 23, 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150303130905/http://www.nola.com/crime/index.ssf/2012/05/louisiana_is_the_worlds_prison.html |archive-date=March 3, 2015 |url-status=live }}</ref> There are more people serving life sentences without parole in Louisiana than in Texas, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alabama and Mississippi combined.<ref>{{Cite web |date=November 4, 2023 |title=The Scandal That Never Happened |last= Rubin |first= Anat |url=https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-judges-ignored-prisoners-petitions-without-review-fifth-circuit |access-date=November 23, 2023 |website=[[ProPublica]] |archive-date=November 22, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231122175457/https://www.propublica.org/article/louisiana-judges-ignored-prisoners-petitions-without-review-fifth-circuit |url-status=live}}</ref>

The [[New Orleans Police Department]] began a [[Sanctuary city|sanctuary policy]] to "no longer cooperate with federal immigration enforcement" beginning on February 28, 2016.<ref>Robert McClendon, [http://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/sanctuary_city_immigration_new.html 'Sanctuary city' policy puts an end to NOPD's immigration enforcement] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107143900/https://www.nola.com/politics/index.ssf/2016/03/sanctuary_city_immigration_new.html |date=November 7, 2018 }}, ''NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune'' (March 1, 2016).</ref>

On June 19, 2024, [[Jeff Landry]] signed a bill to officially require that the [[Ten Commandments]] be displayed in every classroom in public schools and colleges.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-ten-commandments-displayed-classrooms-571a2447906f7bbd5a166d53db005a62|title=New law requires all Louisiana public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments|date=June 19, 2024|website=AP News}}</ref> In November 2024, the law was overturned by a federal court.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-12 |title=Federal judge blocks Louisiana Ten Commandments law |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cd6vxqe14nwo |access-date=2025-04-22 |website=BBC News |language=en-GB}}</ref>

===Judiciary===
The [[judiciary of Louisiana]] is defined under the [[Constitution of Louisiana|constitution]] and [[law of Louisiana]] and comprises the [[Louisiana Supreme Court]], the [[Louisiana Circuit Courts of Appeal]], the district courts, the Justice of the Peace courts, the mayor's courts, the city courts, and the parish courts. The chief justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court is the chief administrator of the judiciary. Its administration is aided by the Judiciary Commission of Louisiana, the [[Louisiana Attorney Disciplinary Board]], and the Judicial Council of the Supreme Court of Louisiana.