A three judge panel in the 3rd Circuit Court of Appeals denied an appeal by the plaintiff in a lawsuit over the new home rule charter. Theoretically, the decision today clears the way for two separate councils to be seated in Lafayette Parish. But court watchers expect the decision will be further challenged in the Louisiana Supreme Court.

In a post by the group Fix The Charter, Friday's decision was spelled out.

For the foregoing reasons, the judgement of the trial court is affirmed. The motion to stay is hereby denied as moot.

The decision in the 3rd Circuit is also a legal blow to Secretary of State Kyle Ardoin who filed suit in the case along with Keith Kishbaugh. At issue was the authority of the Lafayette City-Parish council to fix clerical errors with the legal descriptions of some precincts in accordance with published maps. During the trial, demographer Mike Hefner testified that he sent the wrong version of the legal descriptions at one point to the council during the process. The plaintiffs argued the point that the error (no matter how it happened) disenfranchised more than 300 people in a precinct near downtown.

Ardoin was represented by attorneys from Attorney General Jeff Landry's office. It's unclear if Kishbaugh's attorney Lane Roy will continue the fight and request an opinion from the Louisiana Supreme Court.

Kishbaugh joined the guys on OFFSIDES - Brandon Comeaux and Shannon Wilkerson - to discuss the ruling.

 

 

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