NEW ORLEANS — In your Breakdown: five new pieces of legislation could give the Louisiana governor absolute power to appoint the majority of several important boards and the Louisiana Supreme Court.
First: a possible constitutional amendment targeting the Louisiana Supreme Court.
HB533 would mean a drastic change. First, it would take away your current right to elect justices and allow the governor to appoint them to ten-year terms. It would also expand the current court from six members to eight.
Next—the Governor’s Mansion Commission. Currently, a commission protects the mansion’s historical significance, which includes its furniture, décor, and grounds.
HB799 would severely restrict its jurisdiction, allowing Louisiana’s first family to change things without approval. It would also expand the areas of the mansion, which are off-limits to the public.
SB403 would give the governor authority to pick the chairmen of the five boards of higher education in the state. They include the LSU Board of Supervisors, University of Louisiana Board of Supervisors, Southern University Board of Supervisors, Community and Technical Colleges Board of Supervisors, and Board of Regents. Currently, each of those boards elects a chairman from its membership, and the Board of Regents appoints the commissioner of higher education.
Governor Jeff Landry could soon be in charge of appointing members of the ethics board that has charged him with ethics violations.
Currently, the Louisiana Board of Ethics is composed of seven members who are appointed by the governor but who are first nominated by the presidents of colleges and universities in the state. Under SB497, it would remove that procedure, allowing the governor to appoint anyone he wants. The board is also comprised of two members elected by the State Senate and Louisiana House.
And with the most broad reach, SB462 would allow the governor to appoint the chairperson or any other officers of hundreds of boards and commissions, as long as he notifies them of his intent to do so within 20 days of taking office. Those appointments would still have to be confirmed by the Senate.
For context, the Louisiana Constitution and state law already allow the governor to appoint more than 500 positions across the state, but these bills remove many of the guardrails and nomination processes at the state’s highest courts and institutions.
All of these bills have been sent for consideration in committee. We’ll be watching as they move through the legislative process.
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