A contentious lawsuit between Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry and the state’s pardon board was settled on Tuesday after both parties agreed to drop the case.
In June, 55 of the state’s death row inmates filed clemency applications with the Louisiana Board of Pardons and Committee on Parole.
Gov. John Bel Edwards supported the clemency applications, claiming that if the attorneys were confident in the inmates’ guilt, a clemency hearing would do no harm.
However, the board denied all 55 requests in July, citing an opinion issued by Landry. Gov. Edwards then wrote a letter to the board, asking them to reconsider the decision.
The board decided to hold hearings for 20 inmates, the highest number they could fit into their schedule for the year. It was at this point that Landry filed a lawsuit against the board.
“The Board of Pardons should not sacrifice the rule of law, the rights of victims, and the public’s participation simply to achieve the Governor’s political objective,” Landry wrote in a press release dated Sept. 20.
The board hired a local civil rights attorney, Art Smith, to represent them in the lawsuit.
On Sept. 26, Smith wrote a letter to Landry asking him to recuse himself or step away from the case due to a conflict of interest. Smith stated that he was representing the board and that Landry had not waived his conflict of interest.
Landry responded later on the same day, stating that Smith is “not authorized to serve as legal counsel” and that the Office of the Attorney General is responsible for appointing legal counsel for the board. This letter served as a firing notice to Smith.
In an interview with The Guardian, Smith claimed that Landry was acting in retaliation, and maintained that there was a conflict of interest.
“Think about it, you sue somebody and then say: ‘I am going to select the lawyers who defend you,’” Smith said.
After Smith’s firing, the board hired another firm, which Landry worked with earlier in the year to fight for stricter abortion laws.
Since then, the lawsuit has been settled with both sides agreeing to drop the case. The board halted all clemency hearings through the end of this year.
