Should attorneys who are state legislators be granted automatic court delays?


    The Louisiana Supreme Court will review whether granting automatic delays in court proceedings to attorneys who are also state lawmakers is fair, Louisiana Illuminator reports. 

    The decision comes after Gov. Jeff Landry’s veto of a bill that would have changed the practice. 

    The court agreed Tuesday to hear arguments over whether Sen. Alan Seabaugh and Rep. Micheal Melerine, Republicans who are partners in a Shreveport law firm, have been unreasonably delaying court proceedings related to a car accident because of their legislative responsibilities. 

    Caddo Parish resident Theresa Fisher initially sued the driver who hit her car and his insurance company, Hanover Insurance Group, which Seabaugh and Melerine represent, in April 2019 seeking financial compensation for medical problems the accident caused, according to her attorneys.

    The case, pending in the First Judicial District in Caddo, has been delayed more than once, sometimes because it conflicted with Seabaugh’s legislative schedule. The date of the trial was first scheduled in March 2021 but has been moved four times and is now on the calendar for October.

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