The Pelican Center for Justice is dedicated to advancing pro-freedom litigation to ensure the rights of Louisiana’s working families are protected. Aggressively litigious, anti-freedom special interests are using the courtroom to fight policy battles, which makes defending the rights of citizens all the more important. Now, more than ever, Louisiana needs liberty-focused strategic litigation, and the Pelican Center for Justice is working tirelessly to ensure the freedoms of all Louisianans are intact.
Throughout 2020, elected officials and public health departments issued a variety of emergency orders to stop or slow the spread of the COVID-19 virus. These orders included stay at home orders, business closures, and capacity limitations. Unfortunately, these measures abridged personal liberties and damaged-even destroyed-businesses and livelihoods. Many courts allowed these orders to stand because...
On Thursday, July 1, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court issued one of the most anticipated decisions of the October 2020 Term, Americans for Prosperity Foundation v. Bonta. The Court held that a California regulation requiring non-profit organizations to disclose the names of their donors violates the First Amendment right to free association. At issue in...
VICTORY! Today, the U. S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Randy Boudreaux’s First Amendment challenge to the Louisiana State Bar Association’s (LSBA) compelled dues payments and mandatory bar membership can proceed. The Pelican Center for Justice, along with Dane Ciolino and the Goldwater Institute, represent Mr. Boudreaux in the case. Writing for the Court, Judge Don...
What do volunteer dental hygienists, civics classes, and midwives have to do with the legal profession? It’s not a trick question. The answer is, “nothing.” However, that did not stop the Louisiana State Bar Association (LSBA) from using mandatory membership dues to advocate for or against legislation related to those topics. Since at least 2007,...
Last Spring, we shared the story of Peyman Pakdel, an Ohio small business owner who hoped to one day retire to San Francisco with his wife, Sima Chegini. Mr.Pakdel is now asking the U.S. Supreme Court to consider his case and the Pelican Center for Justice submitted an amicus curiae brief in support of his...
A little-known Louisiana law is preventing Ursula Newell-Davis, a professional social worker, from helping at-risk kids in her local community. Tune into the PeliCast Tuesday, as we sit down with our friends at Pacific Legal Foundation to discuss this unconstitutional state law and the new lawsuit challenging it.
by Sarah Harbison, general counsel & director, Pelican Center for Justice Ursula Newell-Davis lives in New Orleans and cares deeply about the well-being of her community. Through her work as a social worker and as a mother to her own special needs son, Ursula has seen first-hand that children with disabilities and their families need...
by Sarah Harbison, general counsel, Pelican Institute In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear oral arguments in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid, a case challenging a California regulation that allows union organizers to trespass on private property and interrupt business operations. Last week, the Pelican Institute for Public Policy’s Center for Justice was pleased...
by Sarah Harbison, general counsel, Pelican Institute On Monday, the Louisiana Supreme Court issued a ruling in Gov. John Bel Edwards v. Louisiana State Legislature, et al. The court vacated the district court’s ruling that the statute authorizing the legislature’s petition to terminate the governor’s public health emergency order was unconstitutional and sent the case...
Several lawsuits have been filed over COVID-19 mandates in many states around the country. Tune in today to get the latest on lawsuits over contact tracing, curfew rules, and more, as Kansas Justice Institute’s Sam MacRoberts joins the PeliCast!
by Sarah Harbison, General Counsel at the Pelican Institute As many of us were completing our Thanksgiving Day meal prep on Wednesday, Nov. 25, the U.S. Supreme Court granted a temporary injunction against New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s executive order limiting religious service attendance. The ruling is something Louisiana lawmakers and citizens alike should take...
Join us live on Wednesday at noon, as State Rep. Beau Beaullieu tells us how Constitutional Amendment #4 can transform Louisiana’s outdated approach to budgeting to help stop fiscal cliffs and strengthen our working families. You’ll want to watch this one before you go to the ballot box!