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The Advocate 05-29-2026

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‘NIGHT AND DAY’: SAINTS QB SHOUGH SEEING DIFFERENCE EARLy IN yEAR 2, 1C

THE

ADVOCATE BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA

T H E A D V O C AT E.C O M

|

F r i d ay, M ay 29, 2026

$2.00X

EBR wants cities added to lawsuit St. George broke promise on DA funding, city-parish says BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer

The court fight over funding for the District Attorney’s Office has intensified, with the target of the lawsuit — the East Baton Rouge Parish government — arguing such spending decisions aren’t a judge’s to make and claiming St. George and other cities in the par-

ish should be sued too. In arguments filed in court Wednesday, lawyers for the cityparish said District Attorney Hillar Moore should have included the parish’s other cities in his lawsuit, particularly the new city of St. George, which “has not fulfilled its promise” to help fund his office. Brett Furr — representing Mayor-President Sid Edwards, all 12

Metro Council members and the city-parish government — claims St. George previously committed to funding the District Attorney’s Office, noting organizers made it part of their platform to get voters to support incorporation during the yearslong effort. “Now that it has incorporated and it is time to write a check, St. George has reneged,” Furr wrote.

Furr points to sworn testimony before the Louisiana Supreme Court in 2024 in which St. George’s own expert witness said the new city was proposing contributing money to parishwide offices like Moore’s. In other sworn testimony during the legal battle over the city’s creation, the expert said St. George would contribute more than $5.3

ELECTIONS

Updated voting map clears House

Final approval close but legal challenges loom Staff writer

The Louisiana Legislature is on the brink of passing a new congressional map after the House approved an updated version Thursday and Republican leaders in both chambers have thrown their support behind the plan. But court challenges by Republicans and Democrats loom, creating uncertainty about if and when the map will be finalized ahead of the November midterm elections. Legislative leaders helming the redistricting effort have said legal action is an inevitability they’re prepared to confront with a map they believe will withstand court challenges. “The map is constitutional. That’s why I like it,” said Sen. Caleb Kleinpeter, a key Republican in the redistricting effort. “I think it will pass a constitutional challenge.” The House passed a map with five Republican-leaning districts and one Democratic-leaning district that ties together Black communities from New Orleans to Baton Rouge. Lawmakers did so after over seven hours of debate, with Democrats in the chamber emotionally protesting the elimination of one of the state’s two majority-Black districts. “If you vote for this bill, you are participating in a racist act,” Rep. Edmond Jordan, D-Baton Rouge, told

Union Union

Claiborne Claiborne

Bossier Bossier Webster Webster

Lincoln Lincoln

Caddo Caddo

Ouachita Ouachita Bienville Bienville

DeSoto DeSoto

Red R ed River River

Caldwell Caldwell

Grant Grant

Sabine Sabine

Allen Allen

JJefferson efferson Davis Davis

Cameron Cameron

1

Franklin Franklin

2

Tensas Tensas

3 4

LaSalle LaSalle

Rapides Rapides

Vernon Vernon

Calcasieu Calcasieu

Madison Madison

Catahoula Catahoula

Natchitoches Natchitoches

Beauregard Beauregard

Richland Richland

Jackson Jackson Winn Winn

Proposed Louisiana congressional district map

Morehouse M orehouse West West East Carroll East Carroll Carroll Carroll

Evangeline Evangeline

5

Concordia Concordia W. Feliciana W. Feliciana E. Feliciana E. Feliciana

Avoyelles Avoyelles

6 Tangipahoa Tangipahoa

St. St. Helena H elena Pointe St. Landry St. Landr y Coupee

Washington Washington

EBR

Livingston WBR Acadia A cadia St. John hn Iber ville Lafayette St. Lafayette Ascension St. Martin Martin Vermilion Vermilion

Iberia Iberia

St. James James Assumption St. Mary St. Mar y

St. Tammany St. Tammany Orleans Orleans

Jefferson Jefferson

St. St. Charles C harles Lafourche afourche

St. Bernard St. Bernard Plaquemines Plaquemines

Terrebonne Terrebonne Staff S ff map Source: Louisiana Legislature

his colleagues in the Legislature. The Senate is likely to pass the new map Friday and send it to Gov. Jeff Landry for his signature after Republican leaders this week reached an agreement on how to draw the lines of Louisiana’s six congressional districts. The map approved Thursday looks roughly like the one approved in 2022, and addresses several points of contention between the House and the Senate over how some parishes were split between multiple districts.

“The map is constitutional. That’s why I like it.” STATE SEN. CALEB KLEINPETER, R-Port Allen

ä See LAWSUIT, page 6A

Louisiana, Exxon agree to deal

2026 LEGISLATURE

BY ALYSE PFEIL

million to the city-parish annually to pay for the district attorney and coroner’s offices and the Parish Prison, Furr noted. The expert specified “$1,366,213 for the District Attorney,” the cityparish attorneys added. Moore According to testimony excerpts cited by the

“If you vote for this bill, you are participating in a racist act.” STATE REP. EDMOND JORDAN, D-Baton Rouge

ä See MAP, page 6A

Coastal land disputes settled, Landry says

BY ALEX LUBBEN Staff writer

Gov. Jeff Landry announced Thursday that the state had reached an agreement with oil giant Exxon Mobil to resolve lawsuits seeking compensation from the company for damaging the state’s rapidly eroding coastline, but details of the deal are likely to remain secret. The announcement raised questions over not only the contents of the agreement, but also what effect it would Landry have on similar pending cases. It was also unclear to what degree the deal would benefit Louisiana’s vital coastal restoration efforts, which face a severe reduction in funding in the years ahead. It may even add to mounting speculation over whether Elon Musk’s SpaceX is seeking to expand its rocket operations to a site along Louisiana’s coast. Exxon owns a vast tract of land in Vermilion Parish, and a settlement removing its legal liability there could ease the way for a potential sale. “The State of Louisiana has reached a deal with @ExxonMobil, which resolves the coastal land disputes,” Landry posted to X. “A major part of the resolution includes ExxonMobil partnering with the state to ensure the state’s orphan wells along Louisiana’s coast are addressed.” Attorney General Liz Murrill issued a more cautious statement, saying Louisiana has a deal “in principle” but that “documents still need to be drawn up and signed.” “Any settlements in the coastal cases are under seal by court order, but I am happy to confirm that we were able to find common ground with Exxon and look forward to a great future together,” she said. An Exxon spokesperson, Curtis Smith,

ä See EXXON, page 5A

WEATHER HIGH 87 LOW 72 PAGE 8B

Business ......................3B Commentary ................7B Nation-World................2A Classified .....................7D Deaths .........................4B Opinion ........................6B Comics-Puzzles .....4D-6D Living............................1D Sports ..........................1C

101ST yEAR, NO. 333


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