No matter how many times I repeat the statistics, the reality of Louisiana’s crime epidemic and broken criminal justice system are best known by those in the thick of it. We can highlight that three of Louisiana’s major cities are some of the most dangerous in the country, that New Orleans is ranked as one of the most dangerous in the world, and that our first responders and criminologists are underpaid, overworked, and in desperate need of support.
But for the past eight years, the Edwards Administration has chosen to put criminal rights over victim rights. By choosing to measure only the incarceration rate rather than its implications to the State’s crime rate, the Governor has created a disheartening trend he intends to push all the way to the fast-approaching end of his tenure. Whatever the intentions, this has resulted in a legacy of supposed savings and surplus at the very expense of Louisiana lives.
Thankfully, my office – in collaboration with District Attorneys – was able to convince the 19th Judicial District Court to dramatically decrease the Governor’s chances of granting clemency to our State’s most violent and heinous criminals. Instead of allowing the Edwards Administration to cut the line, bend the rules, and manipulate various timelines to expedite clemency hearings, the Court upheld Louisiana law. This ultimately means that the Governor may not cheat the system in his waning days in office – ensuring that crime victims can still hang onto hope of getting the justice our State promised them.
I have consistently sided with the victims of these horrible crimes, even organizing a hearing at the State Capitol so that loved ones of those tortured, raped, and murdered were able to tell their stories, express their views, and finally have their voices heard. While our detractors declared this a political stunt, we all know better; it was necessary for the Legislature and people of our State to hear inconvenient truths, no matter how painful they are to hear.
Capital punishment is reserved only for the most heinous crimes known to man, which are done knowingly and with a rational mind. In total, there are 41 capital offenses that are punishable by death, including mass murder, contract and torture killers, killers of children, and terrorists. More importantly, it is constitutional – which is why Solicitor General Liz Murrill and I have worked diligently to remove obstacles in the courts and effectively clear the path for a future Governor to move forward with promised executions.
Perhaps that is why this Governor has been so eager to dismiss the rule of law and infuriate a large number of district attorneys, judges, first responders, and victims. If we’ve learned anything over the past eight years, it’s that the Edwards Administration often sides with the most dangerous, the most violent, and the most destructive over the innocent, the injured, and the brutally slaughtered. They have prioritized hug-a-thug policies over what’s fair, righteous, and just. And in his final months in office, the Governor seems determined to insult the victims of horrible crimes even further, rather than leave quietly and allow others to clean up his mess.
But with our court victory for victims, I have hope that the tides are turning and that justice will finally be served. I am also proud to have joined numerous district attorneys throughout Louisiana in upholding the rule of law and ensuring that clemency reviews for death row offenders are conducted in an open, transparent and legal process.
What our State needs is leadership, the kind that we exhibited in this situation. By standing up for the most vulnerable and protecting the rule of law, we supported victims and justice — not carnage and chaos. As a result, the people of our State got one step closer to having a criminal justice system that fulfills its promises.
Jeff Landry
Attorney General - Louisiana
