Advocate editorial
April 26, 2018
Louisiana is one of just two states that do not require a jury to return a unanimous verdict to convict a defendant in all felony cases.
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40 - The percentage of trial convictions in Louisiana over the past six years that resulted from split jury verdicts. Source: The Advocate)March 19, 2018
Louisiana’s chronic refusal to address its structural budget deficit is a likely reason medical school graduates are leaving the state at higher rates than just a few years ago. As the AP’s Melinda Deslatte reports, last week was when newly minted doctors found out where they will “match” with post-graduate residency programs.
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$53.3 million - Annual payments Louisiana will receive from BP over the next 15 years for economic damages associated with the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill. Legislation filed for the current session would allow the money to be spent on general operations instead of squirreled away in special funds (Source: Associated Press)March 12, 2018
Louisiana legislators return to a politically fractured state Capitol for the start of a three-month regular session, where the state’s ongoing revenue crisis will remain unsolved as debates over education, health care coverage, gambling and the minimum wage will compete for the political spotlight.
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$6.8 billion - Total debt in Louisiana’s pension plan for state employees. Legislation filed for the upcoming session would create a “hybrid” plan for future state workers that includes a 401(k)-style investment account. (Source: The Associated Press)March 9, 2018
A recent report by U.S. News and World Report ranked Louisiana dead last in the nation when ranked on a host of measurements such as health care, crime, economic opportunity and fiscal stability.