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BATON ROUGE, LOUISIANA
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T h u r s d ay, M a r c h 12, 2026
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EAST BATON ROUGE PARISH METRO COUNCIL
Funds OK’d for DA, public defender Moore says he still plans to sue city-parish
BY PATRICK SLOAN-TURNER Staff writer
After both offices warned last fall that budget constraints were straining their operations, the Baton Rouge Metro Council on Thursday approved additional funding for the district attorney and public
defender. At the request of Mayor-President Sid Edwards’ administration, the council authorized $500,000 for the public defender’s office and $850,000 for District Attorney Hillar Moore’s office on Wednesday. Moore, who has spent more than a year pushing for additional
funding, welcomed the increase but said it falls short of what his office needs and that he still plans to sue the city-parish seeking more money. “We are extremely grateful to the Mayor, City Council and Finance Department for today’s additional funding allocation,” Moore
said in a statement Wednesday evening. “While it represents only a small portion of what is needed to bring our Office’s operational capacity to a fully functional level, it does provide much-needed shortterm relief.” The supplement for the two offices comes from a fund balance in the city-parish’s general fund, Edwards’ office said. The district attorney’s adopted
2026 LEGISLATURE EDUCATION
Bills target private pre-K rules
2026 budget decreased by 9% — or about $774,000. The added funds make up for the shortfall, but are lower than what Moore says he needs to be on par with other prosecutors in the state. Moore asked for more than $22 million for his budget this year, but with Wednesday’s supplement, he is operating at about $8.3 million.
ä See FUNDS, page 7A
Resignation deepens fight over judicial discipline Letter accuses improper action taken against judges
BY MEGHAN FRIEDMANN Staff writer
to private schools that warn that complying with the new regulations will be costly and complicated and could trigger tuition hikes and pre-K closures. “I don’t see it being feasible, plausible or practical,” said Russell Marino, head of Hosanna Christian Academy in Baton Rouge, adding that the school might shut down its 120-student pre-K program if the law stands. That “would be devastating to the community we serve.” The bill caused a stir in the Capitol this week when Mizell introduced it at the start of the new legislative session. Barrow said she hadn’t been consulted about the bill and denounced it as a “step backward” for child safety, and a Senate Education
A former state Supreme Court justice resigned in dramatic fashion last week from the Judiciary Commission, accusing the body of failing to hold judges accountable for wrongdoing, days before Gov. Jeff Landry urged the Louisiana Legislature to pass legislation to rein in judges. “I have realized that I serve no purpose as a member,” former Justice Chet Traylor wrote in a let- “Judges need to ter to Landry explaining be aboveboard why he resigned from the and accountable commission, which inves- as their actions tigates complaints against determine judges and can recommend the way our their discipline to the Supreme Court. He called citizens view our for more transparency government.” around judicial discipline CHET TRAyLOR, and alleged that complaints against judges often go un- former La. Supreme addressed. Court justice “Judges need to be aboveboard and accountable as their actions determine the way our citizens view our government,” he wrote. “I only wish that my serving could have turned the tide.” Traylor’s scathing remarks stand out in a state where judges often close ranks and rarely speak publicly — and are forbidden from doing so about active cases. His letter paints Louisiana as rife with judges who are “incompetent or so arrogant that they think they are above the law,” and it says there is a lack of “meaningful action” against them. The former justice’s comments are one of the starkest signs of a push for stronger oversight of the judiciary by lawmakers, Landry and some
ä See BILLS, page 7A
ä See DISCIPLINE, page 7A
STAFF FILE PHOTO By BRAD KEMP
Two bills have been filed in the Louisiana Legislature aimed at the state’s new law regulating private preschools.
One would ease regulations; another would end them BY PATRICK WALL Staff writer
Competing bills in the Louisiana Legislature that aim to quell the uproar over a new state law regulating private preschools take starkly different approaches: One proposal would revise the law, while the other would gut it. Passed unanimously by the Legislature last year, Act 409 imposes stringent licensure rules on prekindergarten programs at private schools but exempts programs at public and Montessori schools. Pro-
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ponents say the law strengthens protections for young children in private settings, but critics — including two private schools that unsuccessfully challenged the law in court — call the regulations excessive and unnecessary due to the schools’ existing safety protocols. Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, who authored the original legislation, responded to the complaints by filing a bill last month that would ease the regulations while also requiring public preschools to be licensed. But Sen. Beth Mizell, R-Franklinton, introduced a competing bill this week that fully exempts private and religious preschools from the regulations — effectively voiding the key component of Act 409. Her proposal, Senate Bill 402, will come as a relief
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