LSU BASEBALL Tigers top Indiana 14-7 in tournament opener 1C
ADVOCATE THE
T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M
|
BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
S at u r d ay, F e b r u a ry 21, 2026
$2.00X
Supreme Court rejects Trump tariffs
Ruling sparks fierce pushback, vow of new levies BY LINDSAY WHITEHURST Associated Press
WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump’s far-reaching global tariffs on Friday, handing him a stinging loss that sparked a furious attack on the court he helped shape. Trump said he was “absolutely ashamed” of some justices who ruled 6-3 against him, calling them “disloyal to our Constitution” and “lapdogs.” At one point he even raised the specter of foreign influence without citing any evidence. The decision could have ripple
effects on economies around the globe after Trump’s moves to remake post-World War II trading alliances by wielding tariffs as a weapon. But an unbowed Trump pledged to impose a new global 10% tariff under a law that’s restricted to 150 days and has never been used to apply tariffs before. “Their decision is incorrect,” he said. “But it doesn’t matter because we have very powerful alternatives.” The court’s ruling found tariffs that Trump imposed under an emergency powers law were
unconstitutional, including the sweeping “reciprocal” tariffs he levied on nearly every other country. Trump appointed three of the justices on the nation’s highest court during his first term, including Louisiana native Amy Coney Barrett in 2020, and has scored a series of short-term wins that have allowed him to move ahead with key policies. Tariffs, though, were the first major piece of Trump’s broad agenda to come squarely before
ASSOCIATED PRESS PHOTO By EVAN VUCCI
President Donald Trump speaks about the Supreme Court ruling on ä See TARIFFS, page 6A tariffs during a news briefing at the White House on Friday.
FRY DAY
Pecue, Highland intersection to get traffic light BY ELLYN COUVILLION Staff writer
When the East Baton Rouge city-parish government was drawing up a list of much-needed traffic improvement projects several years ago, one of the items was a particular intersection on Highland Road, the one at Pecue Lane. On the face of it, during a slow-traffic time of day, the intersection — which now falls into St. George city limits — looks fairly benign. Pecue Lane, which runs from Airline Highway to Highland Road, is a two-lane road at the point it ends at Highland. There’s a stop sign on Pecue. But there’s no stop sign or any other traffic-flow device there on Highland. And that’s where the problem lies. “It’s a dangerous intersection,” said William Daigle, who has lived a few driveways down from the intersection for 20 years. “People drive crazy on Highland.”
ä See LIGHT, page 5A STAFF PHOTOS By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Kelly Poiencot prepares catfish for frying by the Knights of Columbus for a fish fry for Lent on Friday at St. Joseph Cathedral.
Jerome Miller stirs catfish strips as they fry on Friday at St. Joseph Cathedral in Baton Rouge.
The observation of Lent, a Catholic observance, is a solemn time, and Catholics are asked to abstain from eating meat on Fridays. But a tasty side benefit of the season is the return of Fish Fry Friday as fish is permitted by the church. The Lenten dinners are usually found at Catholic community centers, presided over by members serving up takeout boxes of golden fried catfish and sides. These fundraisers are times to connect with friends and support a variety of causes.
STAFF PHOTO By MICHAEL JOHNSON
Cars roll through the intersection of Pecue Lane and Highland Road on Thursday.
Appeals court allows La.’s Ten Commandments law to take effect BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Louisiana public schools got the go-ahead to post the Ten Commandments in classrooms after a federal appeals court on Friday lifted an order that had stopped the state from enforcing a law requiring the displays. The majority opinion by the 5th
WEATHER HIGH 80 LOW 44 PAGE 6C
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals lifted a preliminary injunction issued by a lower court that had blocked state officials from enforcing the law, which was passed in 2024 by Louisiana’s Republican-controlled Legislature and championed by Gov. Jeff Landry. A U.S. District Court judge and a three-judge panel on the 5th Circuit both previously said the law, which requires
all public K-12 schools and colleges in Louisiana to post the biblical text, is unconstitutional because it violates students’ right to religious freedom. Friday’s ruling by the full 5th Circuit, which is considered the country’s most conservative federal court of appeals, did not weigh in on the constitutionality of the law. Instead, the majority said it is
too soon to block the law on constitutional grounds because there are many “unresolved” questions, such as what the Ten Commandments posters will look like, how prominently they will be displayed and whether teachers will incorporate them into their lessons. The majority added that nothing in the ruling prevents future challenges to the law “once the statute
Business ......................5B Deaths .........................4B Nation-World ................2A Classified .....................7D Living............................1D Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Metro ...........................1B Sports ..........................1C
is implemented and a concrete factual record exists.” Attorney General Liz Murrill, whose office defended the law in court, celebrated the ruling Friday and said it allows Louisiana public schools to immediately start posting displays of the Ten Commandments.
ä See APPEALS, page 5A
101ST yEAR, NO. 236