In Louisiana, we’re no strangers to elections. This time, the ballot is packed with constitutional amendments, and legislators are counting on low turnout to push their agenda through. Without high-profile races to draw voters in, most people won’t engage—but that doesn’t mean these amendments aren’t important. Here’s our breakdown so you can cast an informed vote.
Amendment 1: Expanding State Power Over Courts and Lawyers
Gov. Jeff Landry and the Louisiana Legislature want to reshape the legal system to their advantage. Amendment 1 allows lawmakers to create specialty courts that cross parish lines and operate outside of traditional local jurisdictions. It also gives the Louisiana Supreme Court more authority to discipline out-of-state lawyers practicing in Louisiana.
Translation: This amendment removes current constitutional restrictions on new courts, giving state lawmakers greater control over how and where certain cases are handled. These courts could serve political or business interests instead of local communities. Meanwhile, the expanded power over out-of-state lawyers targets legal challenges involving disaster recovery and major lawsuits.
What’s at Stake:
- State lawmakers gain more power to create courts, reducing local oversight.
- New courts could favor businesses and political interests over communities.
- The Supreme Court gains more control over out-of-state lawyers, impacting legal battles.
Amendment 2: Your Tax Dollars, Their Rules (And a Teacher Raise Gimmick)
This amendment shifts financial control from voters to politicians. It:
- Lowers the income tax cap from 4.75% to 3.75%, reducing future state revenue.
- Doubles tax deductions for seniors.
- Eliminates key education trust funds and redirects them to cover teacher retirement debt.
- Allows local governments to phase out business inventory taxes, but they lose a critical revenue source.
- Limits how much government can spend, even in emergencies.
- Merges two state savings accounts, reducing protections against reckless spending.
- Promises a one-time, non-recurring teacher raise to encourage support for the amendment.
Translation: This amendment locks in tax cuts for businesses while making it harder for the state to fund schools, roads, and emergency services. Once the money runs out, lawmakers decide what gets cut—and voters have no say.
And about that teacher raise? It’s a one-time payout, not a permanent salary increase. Once the money is gone, future raises are not guaranteed. It’s a political ploy to get teachers to support an amendment that actually undermines long-term education funding.
What’s at Stake:
- Less funding for essential services.
- Fewer options for future spending decisions.
- A misleading teacher raise that disappears after one year.
- A tax structure designed to benefit big business, not working families.
Amendment 3: Jeff Landry’s War on Louisiana’s Kids
Governor Jeff Landry’s administration has targeted children with harmful policies. Amendment 3, which expands the list of offenses for which 14- to 16-year-olds can be charged as adults, is the latest attack.
Right now, Louisiana’s constitution lists 16 serious crimes that allow 14- to 16-year-olds to be charged as adults. Amendment 3 removes those limits, allowing lawmakers to expand the list without public input.
Translation: Instead of requiring a public vote to change these laws, politicians will decide—every session—who can be charged as an adult. Expect more Black kids to be funneled into adult prisons.
Landry’s Broader Agenda Against Children
Amendment 3 fits into a pattern of policies under Landry’s administration that harm children and families:
- Rejection of Federal Food Assistance: Early into his term, Landry’s administration refused $71 million in federal funding for summer food assistance, leaving nearly 600,000 low-income children without meals when school was out. Public outrage forced him to reverse course, but only after significant backlash.
- Expansion of Juvenile Detention Centers: Landry’s administration poured millions into expanding youth detention centers, keeping more children behind bars instead of focusing on rehabilitation. Some minors awaiting trial now share space with convicted offenders, blurring the line between rehabilitation and punishment.
- Creation of ‘Protecting Minors’ Tip Line: As Attorney General, Landry launched a tip line to report books in schools and libraries. Critics say it targeted DEI and racially inclusive content, limiting students’ access to knowledge and diverse perspectives.
What’s at Stake:
- Fewer protections for young people in the justice system.
- More Black and Brown youth facing adult sentences.
- A justice system focused on punishment, not rehabilitation.
Amendment 4: Less Say in Who Becomes a Judge
Right now, if a judge leaves office early, voters fill the seat within 12 months. Amendment 4 changes that, letting appointed judges stay in power longer before elections happen.
Translation: This means fewer elections, more unelected judges, and less accountability to the people.
What’s at Stake:
- Less voter control over judicial appointments.
- More influence for political insiders who appoint judges.
- A system that favors those already in power.
The Bottom Line: This is a Massive Power Shift to Politicians
These amendments strip power away from voters and hand it to state government.
- Amendment 1 reduces local control over courts, giving lawmakers the power to reshape the judicial system.
- Amendment 2 locks in a tax and spending structure that limits what voters can fund while using a fake teacher raise as bait.
- Amendment 3 is another move in Jeff Landry’s war on children, expanding the state’s power to criminalize kids.
- Amendment 4 reduces voter say in judicial elections, leaving more seats in political hands.
What Can You Do?
Early voting runs until 6 PM this Saturday, and Election Day is March 29th. If you don’t want lawmakers to take away your power, then show up and vote NO on these amendments.
Gov. Landry and the Legislature want you to vote these changes into law. Will you let them take more control, or will you keep your power where it belongs?
Go vote. Your rights—and your tax dollars—are on the line.
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • Licensed General Contractor • Real Estate Appraiser • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
Vote NEAUX People!