The Louisiana administration has defended its law restricting abortion rights for women in various federal courts for six years.
The Supreme Court finally ruled unconstitutional Louisiana law in 2020, and now lawyers representing the plaintiff’s Reproductive Rights Advocacy Center have billed Louisiana $ 8,407,418.83 for their royalties plus $ 246,929.35 “tax-free expenses.” … Under the federal Civil Rights Act, the winning party is entitled to legal fees. The total cost of the litigation includes $ 2.5 million for the services of a third-party law firm that Attorney General Jeff Landry hired to handle the case in the courts.
“Louisiana has spent a tremendous amount of time and taxpayer money in this six-year legal battle,” said attorney Julie Rickelman of the Reproductive Rights Advocacy Center. “This time and money could have been spent on solving real problems for the state, including increasing maternal deaths during childbirth or fighting the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic.”
Newspaper headline:
Litigation penalty