BATON ROUGE (WGNO) – When Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry joined 10 other states in suing the federal government over its transgender restroom directive, he never told the governor he was pulling Louisiana into the lawsuit.
And when Edwards signed an executive order prohibiting state agencies from discriminating against transgender people, Landry fired back with an eight-page legal opinion that argues the executive order has “no binding legal effect.”
Edwards, who has sided with fellow Democrats in supporting legislation and policies that protect transgender rights, is at odds with Landry on this issue. Landry has adamantly opposed transgender rights legislation.
Louisiana is one of 11 states that have filed a joint lawsuit against the Obama administration challenging its directive to allow transgender students to use the restroom of their choice.
Edwards said Wednesday that Landry never told him before Louisiana joined the lawsuit. Edwards said he found out about the lawsuit through media reports.
Today, Edwards issued a statement in response to Landry’s legal opinion that blasts the transgender anti-discrimination executive order.
“The attorney general has overstepped the authority given to his office, and he is now attempting to erode the constitutionally granted executive order power of the governor and is disrupting the work of state agencies … Discrimination of any kind is not a Louisiana value, and I will do everything in my power, including enforcing this order, to foster a productive and welcoming work environment in Louisiana’s state government.”
