A Baton Rouge court will soon be tasked with deciding whether state agents have the authority to stop hunters without suspicion on private property to ensure they have the required hunting licenses and tags, The Advocate is reporting.
The judge overseeing the March 2024 lawsuit filed by an East Feliciana man has denied Motions for Summary Judgment in the case and set it for trial in May, the newspaper reports.
For the past two years, an East Feliciana man has been challenging the constitutionality of the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries hunting license stops on private property like the 240-acre commercial tree farm he owns in Ethel.
Thomas Manuel says gaming officials have unrestrained powers to barge onto his property for inspections under Louisiana’s “entry statute,” a law that currently allows the department to conduct searches without a warrant or probable cause. In his March 2024 lawsuit, Manuel contends the routine tag and license checks on his tree farm are an invasion of privacy, and they violate right to privacy protections in the Louisiana Constitution, the Advocate reports.
To read the whole story and all the background, click here.
