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F r i d ay, F e b r u a ry 14, 2025
Landry takes national spotlight
Governor promotes louisiana and himself amid recent events
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LSU wins appeal over suspended professor
law school instructor again barred from classroom BY ALYSE PFEIL staff writer
A state appeals court has halted a lower court’s ruling requiring LSU to return a tenured law professor to his teaching duties after the university suspended him from the classroom in January. The order from the Louisiana 1st Circuit Court of Appeal came Thursday, just two days after state district Judge Tarvald Smith late Tuesday night signed off on a preliminary injunction barring LSU from interfering with professor Ken Levy’s employment. As part of his ruling, Smith ordered LSU to immediately reinstate the professor to teaching and refrain from violating his free speech and due process rights while Levy’s lawsuit against LSU played out. LSU asked the appeals court to block the reinstatement, and it did. “To the extent the district court issued a mandatory preliminary injunction, such injunction is stayed pending further order of this court,” the order from the 1st Circuit says. Jill Craft, who is representing Levy in the lawsuit, said the order issued by the 1st Circuit isn’t clear as to which part of the lower court’s order is blocked.
ä see APPEAL, page 6A
sTaFF PhoTo by chris GranGer
Gov. Jeff landry talks to the media inside the louisiana now Pavilion during super bowl festivities last week. BY TYLER BRIDGES
staff writer
An elegant reception at the French ambassador’s residence. A White House bill signing. A fancy Washington Mardi Gras ball. An extravagant dinner at New Orleans’ City Park hosted by Saints owner Gayle Benson. Flights on private planes of big campaign donors. A forum to promote investment in Louisiana. Forgoing a hotel in New Orleans during Super Bowl week for nights on a friend’s yacht. Watching the game in a Superdome suite with President Donald Trump. Gov. Jeff Landry had an eventful time over the past month, spent mostly in Washington and New Orleans, showcasing Louisiana — and himself. Landry traveled at least four times to Washington to join with the crowd of conservatives trying to impress Trump and his inner circle. Landry accompanied two cabinet secretaries during their visits to New Orleans to view security measures before the Super Bowl, and he
“When you’re a governor promoting your state, you’re obviously promoting your own brand. I don’t know how he does one without the other. There’s no two ways about it.” charlie cooK, publisher of the nonpartisan cook Political report hosted investors, business executives, elected officials and public relations officials at a pavilion erected by the state on Convention Center Boulevard. “He was visible and passionate. That gets people excited about visiting and hopefully makes them want to invest here,” said Lt. Gov. Billy Nungesser. Said Jefferson Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Landry: “He was everywhere in town. I ran into him at so many stops.” Charlie Cook, a Shreveport native who gained renown in Washington as publisher of the nonpartisan Cook Political Report, said one of a gover-
La. schools tops in reading recovery
nor’s roles is to be the state’s chief salesperson. “When you’re a governor promoting your state, you’re obviously promoting your own brand,” Cook said. “I don’t know how he does one without the other. There’s no two ways about it.” In trying to gain favor with Trump and his inner circle, Landry has invited speculation about his political future. The governor has pledged to serve his full term and is raising money for his reelection in 2027. John Breaux, who spent more than 30 years in Congress split between the House and the Senate, guesses that Landry is positioning himself for a run as a MAGA-style candidate for president. Others believe that the next logical step for Landry would be to run for Senate, although he has ruled out challenging Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-Baton Rouge, when he’s up for reelection next year. Cassidy is already facing one Republican challenger, and others could jump in the race
Louisiana students led the nation in recovering from pandemic learning loss in reading and made the second biggest recovery in math, according to a new report. It also found that Louisiana is the only state where the average student has returned to pre-pandemic achievement levels. Between 2019 and 2024, Louisiana students gained an average of one-fifth of a grade level in math and nearly 30% of a grade level in reading, even as their peers in many other states fell further behind, according to the latest Education Recovery Scorecard. The report by researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth tracks students’ progress in bouncing back from learning disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic
ä see LANDRY, page 6A
ä see SCHOOLS, page 6A
report ranks success in bouncing back after pandemic
BY ELYSE CARMOSINO staff writer
Louisiana ends mass vaccinations seasonal vaccine promotion banned by state surgeon general
letter criticizing the state’s COVID-19 response and public health institutions. The letter was posted on the Louisiana Health Department’s website as the U.S. Senate voted to confirm Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine critic, as Health and Human Services secretary. BY EMILY WOODRUFF Abraham’s message directed emstaff writer ployees to avoid recommending vacLouisiana Surgeon General Dr. Ralph cines and instead provide data and Abraham sent an internal directive to encourage residents to consult their state health workers Thursday ending health care providers. long-standing mass vaccination efforts “Rather than instructing individuand banning staff from promoting sea- als to receive any and all vaccines, sonal vaccines, while publicly issuing a LDH staff should communicate data
WeaTher HIGH 63 LOW 58 PaGe 8b
ä Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr. sworn in as health chief. PaGe 7a
regarding the reduced risk of disease, hospitalization, and death associated with a vaccine and encourage individuals to discuss considerations for vaccination with their healthcare provider,” Abraham wrote in his communication, obtained by The Times-Picayune. Officials with the state Health Department did not respond to a request for
sTaFF File PhoTo by daVid GrunFeld
louisiana surgeon General dr. ralph abraham has put an ä see ENDS, page 7A end to mass vaccination efforts by state health workers.
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100Th year, no. 229