Louisiana Judge Rules Against All Protections for LGBTQ Employees

Judge Todd Hernandez ruled yesterday in favor of Attorney General Jeff Landry's request that protections for LGBTQ employees in Louisiana be struck down.

The horrifying decision comes after Landry's opposition to an executive order from Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards who in April had used his authority to sign a measure protecting the rights of his state's LGBTQ employees from discriminatory treatment.

On Edwards' legislation, Landry said, “We do not live under a king in Louisiana. We have a governor, an independent attorney general, an elected legislature, and a court system who are all involved in governance along with others,” NewNowNext reports.

Landry complained that Edwards had not taken the appropriate legislative course in implementing the protective law.

Edwards responded to the court's decision in a statement: “With great respect for the role of the Louisiana Legislature, we continue to believe that discrimination is not a Louisiana value and that we are best served as a state when employment decisions are based solely on an individual’s qualifications and job performance.”

Edwards has suggested that he intends to challenge the ruling.