Louisiana legislative session: Winners and losers

Louisiana lawmakers closed a three-month session amid heightened racial and partisan tension, with controversial bills targeting New Orleans, LGBTQ+ people, and Black voters, while hunters, space moguls, and boaters saw victories. The session ended after major redrawing of the congressional map and an intense push to fund teacher pay stipends. Governor Jeff Landry entered without a clear agenda beyond backing the LA GATOR program for private schooling. Early battles included moves to dismantle the Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court’s office before Calvin Duncan took office, and tensions surged after the Supreme Court’s Louisiana v. Callais ruling in April. The final weeks reflected deep divisions.