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Clancy's Commentary: Governor Landry adds more items to special session agenda

None of those extra items are part of the federal judge’s order.

NEW ORLEANS — A federal judge ordered Louisiana lawmakers to create a second majority-Black congressional district by January 30. That’s the only real reason for a special legislative session next week. And by itself, it’s a lot of work.

So why did Governor Jeff Landry add a dozen more items to the session’s agenda? For example, he apparently wants to reinvent the state Supreme Court, rewrite Lord knows how much of the state’s Election Code, and end Louisiana’s open primary system, which we’ve had for almost 50 years. And he wants to do all that in barely a week’s time.

None of those extra items are part of the federal judge’s order. There’s no pressing need, nor is there adequate time, to properly vet any of them in a special session. And every one of them represents a major change in Louisiana government.

So, why the rush? It looks like a power grab, one that Landry hopes to ram through the Legislature before we citizens have a chance to review his proposals. For that reason alone, you should call your legislators and tell them to put the brakes on anything other than congressional redistricting.

Because no politician has a mandate for power grabs.

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