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Louisiana Supreme Court votes not to take up LCG Charter appeal

City and Parish Council elections may now proceed
LCG
Posted at 10:46 AM, Jul 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-07-03 18:29:59-04

LAFAYETTE LA. — LAFAYETTE, La. - The Louisiana Supreme Court has voted not to take up the Lafayette Consolidated Government Charter appeal, which means that the 2019 Council elections can proceed.

On Wednesday morning, Lafayette City-Parish Councilman Bruce Conque posted on Facebook announcing the court's decision.

The Office of the Clerk of Court for the Louisiana Supreme Court confirmed to KATC that it would not be taking up the case.

The Office of Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin also released a statement:

I am disappointed that the court system has failed to provide the clarity we requested, and hope none of the longterm concerns we expressed ever come to fruition. Nonetheless, we have a final decision, and my office is ready to hold qualifying next month for the appropriate offices.

On Wednesday afternoon, Louisiana Supreme Court Justice James Genovese released his reasons for why the court had declined to take up the case. Genovese offered the only dissent from the court.

"What more proof of unconstitutionality is needed than 330 voters being disenfranchised, certain persons being allowed to vote twice, and one’s fundamental and constitutional right of suffrage being compromised and negated? This is no clerical error," said Genovese of the Lafayette City-Parish Council's decision to fix precinct errors by ordinance instead of another vote. "This is an impingement on suffrage and patently unconstitutional on both the state and federal level."

In June, the Louisiana Court of Appeal, Third Circuit, denied an appeal in Lafayette Home Rule Charter lawsuit and ruled in favor of the Lafayette City Parish Government ordinance, which was affirmed in May by a previous ruling made by 15th Judicial District Judge John Trahan.