With Gov. Landry now seemingly admitting Louisiana courts are a “circus,” McHugh David, Louisiana Press Association Executive Director, says it will take a “consolidated push” to overcome the “entrenched judiciary interests” in the Legislature and get cameras in courtrooms to capture the “circus.”

Louisiana Press Association (LPA) Executive Director McHugh David.

In our last feature, in which we outlined the insane indictment of AG Liz Murrill by a corrupt and out-of-control loose cannon disgraced “judiciary” in New Orleans, we emphasized the fact that, during his infamous April 24, 2026 “hug a thug” tirade, Gov. Landry said that permitting cameras in courtrooms would transform such courtrooms into a “circus.”  In that feature, we provided Landry’s full tirade, and we stated that his commentary after he poured cold water on the reporter’s question of whether cameras in courtroom would advance his stated goal of judiciary accountability would be extremely difficult to argue against.  We certainly pose no argument whatsoever to his commentary after his direct response to the reporter’s question.

Since we already provided his full tirade (and anyone is welcome to go watch it at the above link), today we are going to limit his commentary to his direct response to the reporter regarding advancing Landry’s goal of judicial accountability via permitting cameras in courtrooms:

4/24/26:  Landry firmly states that permitting cameras in courtrooms would turn those courtrooms into a, “media live circuit circus.”

The very day after we published the feature first linked at the outset of this feature, a New Orleans motorist stopped traffic on I-110 in Baton Rouge and began randomly firing a gun at other motorists indiscriminately.  Upon seeing news of that development, Landry made this post on “X” (formerly Twitter).  From Landry’s X post:

Governor Jeff Landry
@LAGovJeffLandry

The organizer of the recall effort is now accused of shooting a man in the head and received a $100,000 bond.

@AGLizMurrill

received a $400,000 bond. If anyone wants to know why Louisianans have lost faith in the justice system, start there. And these are the same people who accuse us of being the problem.

55.1K

Views

Sounds a little like Landry is tacitly admitting that Louisiana’s courtrooms already are a circus, no?

Also on the very next day after we published the feature first linked on this feature, July 6, 2026, David McHugh was the guest speaker at the Baton Rouge Press Club.  McHugh serves as the Executive Director of the Louisiana Press Association (LPA) and its marketing subsidiary, LPA Marketing.  He assumed this role in May 2024 (with full transition around June 2024), succeeding Jerry Raehal. In this capacity, he also holds the position of Ex-Officio Treasurer.

David comes from a multigenerational family newspaper background. The Livingston Parish News in Denham Springs, Louisiana, has been family-owned since his grandfather acquired it in 1962. He previously served as co-publisher (alongside his mother, Nancy) and president of the publication. He stepped into the co-publisher role in 2015 following the death of his father, Jeff McHugh David Sr.

As Executive Director, David’s priorities include advancing state and national legislation affecting the press.  Sound Off Louisiana’s founder, Robert Burns, viewed David’s appearance as an excellent opportunity to pose the question of him as to why there has not been a much stronger push in Louisiana to obtain cameras in courtrooms.  Here’s the question and his response:

7/6/26:  David responds to Burns’ question of why there hasn’t been a much stronger push to advance the cause of cameras in courtrooms, particularly given the Murrill insane indictment.

As is evident by the video above, David says it is going to take a heavily consolidated effort to defeat the “entrenched judiciary.”  David also stated that Burns, “stole my thunder a little bit,” and referenced the organizations he’s working with to achieve the goal of cameras in courtrooms (and he stressed that everyone “needs to be”), he asked for everyone to push their  legislators to back an effort to bring cameras into courtrooms.

David also said that he wanted folk to grab one of his business cards so that anyone can contact him about helping push legislation to accomplish the goal of cameras in Louisiana  courtrooms.  We took a card, and we want to help him in every way possible, so here is a blown-up version of his business card so anyone can reach out to him and learn how anyone can assist him in this (in our opinion) badly-needed effort to obtain cameras in courtrooms:

David emphasized the need for all of us to contact our Louisiana State Representatives and our Louisiana State Senators and get this done!  It is long overdue, and now even apparently Gov. Landry knows just how out of control it has gotten!  If you are unsure of which House or Senate District in which you reside, you can easily find out very easily right here.

We have intentionally named this feature with four short letters (cinc – short for “cameras in courtrooms”) to make it as easy as possible for anyone to send a very quick email to her Louisiana Legislators, which we too will be doing.  Here’s all the email needs to say (and all we intend to place in our emails to State Sen. Franklin Foil and State Rep. Dixon McMakin):

We desperately need cameras in courtrooms, and the rationale for why is outlined here:  www.SoundOffLA.com/cinc

It’s literally that simple but, as David says, these legislators need to be flooded with such requests by constituents because we (citizens and the media alike) are going up against (his words), “an entrenched judiciary in this state!”

CLICK HERE for David’s presentation in its entirety, which also includes a 17-minute segment where Burns and another reporter quizzed David one-on-one, and Burns openly inquired if the Legislature made a mistake in removing personal liability from the custodian of records for failing to turn over public records.

Another benefit of watching David’s video in its entirety is that he spoke at length about HB-410 of this past Legislative Session, which seeks to place some limitations to Louisiana’s one-party-consent rule of recording or videotaping of conversations with another individual without her consent.  We certainly understand the intent of the bill, which is to restrict abuses of social media dissemination of embarrassing material, and we think that is a noble cause.

Furthermore, we believe that, with the significant number of exceptions (they are all outlined in the link for the final engrossed bill which becomes law on August 1, 2026), the legitimate needs of having a conversation recorded remain intact.

Furthermore, we think that the following provision of the bill is extremely noteworthy, and we salute David and others who fought hard to get the bill amended in the manner in which it was amended to protect the rights of folk who have a legitimate need to audio record or video record interactions which have a high probability of becoming problematic to the recording individual if he fails to  have proof of activity which may give rise to his own civil or criminal claim against the individual(s) he is secretly recording:

Violation of House Bill 410 (now Act 965) is treated as a civil matter, not a criminal act.

The penalties section (§2790.4) specifies that a person found to have violated the provisions shall be liable to an individual for any damages, including court costs and reasonable attorney fees, as ordered by the court. There is no provision for criminal penalties, fines payable to the state, or prosecution as a crime.

This aligns with the bill’s placement under Civil Procedure in the Louisiana Revised Statutes (Title 9). It creates a private right of action for affected individuals rather than establishing a criminal offense. The law does not alter the existing Electronic Surveillance Act in a way that introduces new criminal sanctions for these in-person recording notifications.

So, the ability to covertly audio record or video record matters which may rise to the level of prompting the recording individual to file a civil suit or seek criminal prosecution for acts committed by the individual(s) being secretly recorded remains intact.  Now we just need to get the court proceedings of both civil and criminal matters subject to cameras being permitted in courtrooms because, as demonstrated by the Murrill disaster and numerous instances we could cite that we have observed in courtrooms both entailing criminal and civil matters, those episodes absolutely should be subject to videotaping by camera!

We thank everyone for the dedication demonstrated to this blog over the 11 years of its existence.

 

Will the Liz Murrill Orleans Parish disgraceful courtroom circus antics finally tip the scales to prompt Gov. Landry to push for cameras in courtrooms?

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.

On September 20, 2023, we very reluctantly and (being honest) very begrudgingly issued this “back-handed endorsement” of Jeff Landry to be Louisiana’s next Governor.  The video in that feature included this 34-second segment in which we expressed hope, however faint that hope may be, that Landry would be brave enough to take the bold step of proposing cameras in courtrooms:

9/20/23:  34-second segment of Burns’ “back-handed endorsement” of Jeff Landry for Governor of Louisiana where he references what a game changer it would be for Burns were Landry to back cameras in courtrooms.

On Friday, April 24, 2026, in the immediate aftermath of the Mall of Louisiana shooting, Gov. Landry went on his infamous “hug a thug” tirade.  What got lost in the shuffle of that tirade was both the reporter’s actual question of Landry and his response directly to that reporter’s question.

Instead, all the media focused upon was his subsequent “hug a thug” commentary.  Let’s take a moment to hear the reporter’s question entailing the potential for advancing Landry’s goal of greater judicial accountability via cameras in courtrooms and Landry’s immediate response and, yes, we will allow the clip to continue on to include the “hug a thug” commentary:

4/24/26:  Landry responds to the reporter’s question on cameras in courtrooms (which the media never focused upon but instead only included his “hug a thug” comments after his response to the question).

We would state that Landry’s response strictly from his pouring cold water over cameras in courtrooms (it’s hard to even argue slightly against his other commentary) was a disappointment to us; however, we could easily know his response, and that’s why our “back-handed endorsement” of him was, as some described our video on that segment, “weak and depressing.”  Landry would get a grade of “A” from us for his efforts to do precisely as former Gov. Bobby Jindal did and obtain huge headlines for big companies willing to provide jobs for huge projects.  Nobody would argue with his success in that regard.

Landry, however, again, just like Jindal, would flatly get an “F” grade from us regarding support of small businesses by way of reducing occupational licensing burdens in this state and, in fact, he has been nothing short of downright hypocritical entailing those initiatives.

Liz Murrill, Louisiana’s Republican Attorney General and the first female AG in Louisiana history, who has been in office since January 2024, was indicted on July 2, 2026, by a New Orleans grand jury on 16 felony counts: eight for malfeasance in office and eight for public intimidation/retaliation against public officials.

Background of the Dispute

The charges stem from letters Murrill sent in May 2026 to New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, five City Council members, and retired Judge Calvin Johnson. These followed the Louisiana Legislature’s passage of a bill (Act 15) merging Orleans Parish’s criminal and civil courts.

  • The law abolished the separate criminal clerk’s office (held by Calvin Duncan) and transferred its duties to the civil clerk’s office (held by Chelsey Richard Napoleon), renaming it the unified Clerk of Court.
  • New Orleans officials responded by attempting to appoint Johnson as interim clerk and calling a special election, which Murrill viewed as creating a nonexistent “vacancy” and violating state law.
  • In her letters (publicly posted on the AG’s website), Murrill warned that these actions could trigger Louisiana’s “usurper” statutes, potentially leading to personal liability, fines, imprisonment, and removal from office by Gov. Landry. She urged them to rescind the resolutions and await Louisiana Supreme Court guidance.

Orleans Parish officials, including Mayor Moreno, described the letters as threats and intimidation aimed at influencing official duties.

Indictment and Supreme Court Intervention

A special prosecutor (former Judge Laurie White) was appointed. Critics, including Murrill’s team, alleged procedural flaws, conflicts of interest (e.g., White’s prior representation of Duncan), leaks, and improper handling of the grand jury.

On July 3, 2026 (the day after the indictment), the Louisiana Supreme Court (majority Republican-elected justices) swiftly granted Murrill’s emergency request for a stay, halting the prosecution. The court cited “compelling” arguments about “disturbing defects” in the grand jury proceedings and trial court handling, noting the indictment appeared to “turn the law on its head” due to “extraordinary procedural defects and improprieties.” It signaled Murrill was likely to succeed on a motion to quash the indictment.

  • The court later recalled an active arrest warrant (bond had been set at $400,000 total).
  • Two justices dissented.

Reactions and Context

Murrill and Governor Jeff Landry called it a “political witch hunt,” “retaliatory,” and a “kangaroo” proceeding by opponents of her efforts against crime and corruption in New Orleans. Murrill plans to file motions to dismiss.

This reflects deep partisan and regional tensions between the Republican-controlled state government and Democratic-led New Orleans. As of July 5, 2026, the case remains stayed, with proceedings paused pending further motions in lower court.

We actually believe that Gov. Landry and AG Liz Murrill are being extremely kind to merely use terms such as “political witch hunt,” “retaliatory,” and a “kangaroo” proceeding!  What transpired in that New Orleans Courtroom is so far beyond the pale for any legal proceeding we’ve ever observed in Louisiana that we contend that the players involved should be criminally prosecuted themselves for their actions!

This sordid scandal was not merely a “kangaroo” proceeding, but it was a complete and total train wreck which has made an utter and complete mockery of not only the judicial process in Orleans Parish, but the scenario made a mockery of the entire City of New Orleans’ operations and constituted a mockery of the entire State of Louisiana.

We, as citizens, have every right to not have to read about these proceedings (which is itself difficult given the attempts to have a cleared courtroom with multiple journalists placed in handcuffs for trying to merely cover the story), but we should have every right to view these proceedings on camera from inside the courtroom!

Regarding the permissive granting of cameras in courtrooms at the state level:

“Yes” or permissive policies apply in the vast majority. Examples include broad access in states like Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Ohio, South Carolina, Texas, and others, with varying exceptions (e.g., no jury selection, no jurors, closed proceedings, juveniles, or certain sensitive cases).

Restrictive or “No” states (typically requiring special permission or effectively barring routine use, especially at trial level): Delaware, Iowa, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania are frequently cited as the most restrictive (often described as the primary holdouts prohibiting most camera use).

As anyone following this blog would know, we’ve spent an enormous amount of time in Louisiana courtrooms, and we’ve done our best to report upon proceedings in courtrooms (often on matters no other media outlets cover), but we’ve been forced to do our site viewers a disservice by not being able to provide video footage to ensure our reporting is totally accurate and provide emotion and voice inflection both of attorneys posing arguments and of judges making commentary beyond the words “sustained” and “overruled” when an attorney poses an objection to a question opposing counsel his posed of a witness.

It would certainly be unfortunate if it took this Murrill travesty, and we think what has transpired down in New Orleans goes way beyond even having a modicum of professionalism or ethics in the performance of duties, to cause Gov. Landry to have a “Damascus Road Experience” on his stand on cameras in courtrooms.  Nevertheless, were it to have that effect on him, we would certainly openly welcome such a transformation on Landry’s part, and we think the whole unfortunate sordid Murrill scandal would at least pay a huge dividend!

Terry King provides extensive and in-depth behind-the-scenes drama culminating in the resignation of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith along with other alleged Parish corruption.

Terry King of Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany Parish and Louisiana United International.

In today’s Sound Off Louisiana feature, Terry King, a member of the group Concerned Citizens of St. Tammany Parish and also Louisiana United International, discusses the extensive, in-depth, behind-the-scenes drama which took place culminating in the resignation of St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith yesterday, Wednesday, June 24, 2026.  He also provides details on Smith’s replacement, an upcoming election, and opines on other acts of alleged St. Tammany Parish Corruption:

6/25/26:  King on St. Tammany Parish Sheriff Randy Smith’s resignation and other aspects of St. Tammany Parish alleged corruption.

We again thank everyone for their dedication to the blog and hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend and that nobody fails to get out and vote (for those who passed on early voting) on Saturday!