Louisiana Supremes Kill Governor's Order Protecting LGBT's at Work
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| Mississippi Supreme Court: Front, from left, Justices Jess Dickinson, Chief William Waller Jr., Michael Randolph; back, Justices Dawn Beam, Josiah Coleman, Jim Kitchens, Ann Lamar, Leslie King, Jimmy Maxwell |
An order by Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards protecting LGBT state workers has been killed by the state Supreme Court. In a 4-3 decision, the judges decided Friday not to hear an appeal of an earlier appellate court’s ruling that determined the order was an overreach of state law.
Edwards initially signed the order—which banned discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity in government agencies and state contracts—back in April 2016. But Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry challenged the order’s constitutionality and won in court.
Edwards had hoped to get it restored, and in a statement said his disappointment “is only overshadowed by my frustration that the courts believe that discrimination is something we should tolerate in Louisiana.”
In the court’s dissenting opinion, Chief Justice Bernette said Edwards’ mandate “is consistent with the governor’s legal obligation to faithfully execute the Equal Protection Clause and the broad remedial purpose of both state and federal anti-discrimination statutes.” She also noted that previous governors had issued similar orders. (In all, 13 U.S. states have executive or administrative orders barring employment discrimination based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity.)
But AG Landry praised the ruling, saying he hoped it “will end the governor’s waste of precious taxpayer resources in defense of his unconstitutional actions.”
Landry, whose brother is gay, has long opposed gay rights: In 2012, he demanded the University of Louisiana remove LGBT studies as a minor. Four years later he added Louisiana to a multi-state lawsuit against the Departments of Justice and Education for instructing public schools to let trans students use the appropriate facilities.
“The good Lord doesn’t build us in that particular way,” Landry told the anti-gay Family Research Council at the time.
Currently, 16 states offer no discrimination protections for the LGBT community, although some municipalities within them do. According to the Movement Advancement Project, 50% of LGBT Americans lives in such states.
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