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A Baton Rouge judge has temporarily prevented the Louisiana Board of Ethics from moving forward with replacing its top employee in response to a lawsuit filed by a pair of state senators, Louisiana Illuminator reports.
Judge Kelly Balfour of the 19th Judicial District Court issued a temporary restraining order Friday evening blocking the state ethics board from naming a new administrator.
The stay was granted at the request of Sens. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, and Stewart Cathey, R-Monroe, who are suing to halt the board from filling that position until Gov. Jeff Landry gains more control over the board next year.
Landry and lawmakers—in both parties—have recently had a fraught relationship with the ethics board, which has reprimanded Landry multiple times for campaign finance and ethical violations over the years. Legislators have also complained that the board is being too aggressive regarding investigations into political action committees that lawmakers run.
Attorney Gray Sexton, who is representing the senators in the lawsuit, confirmed Monday that the court has issued the order. The stay is in place until Nov. 18, when Balfour has scheduled a hearing over the matter.
