BATON ROUGE, LA – Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry
today offered his support for Grammy-award winning Christian musician Lauren
Daigle while voicing concern over recent actions taken by New Orleans Mayor
LaToya Cantrell.
In a letter to Ms. Daigle, AG Landry expressed shock and dismay over Mayor Cantrell attempting to have the Louisiana native removed
from the lineup of the New Orleans “New Year’s Rockin Eve” Celebration. AG
Landry calls the move an apparent “targeting” due to Daigle’s recent expression
of her faith.
“The Louisiana Legislature reinforced the rights of
individuals to worship freely by adopting the Preservation of Religious Freedom
Act. See La. Rev. Stat. 13:5232 (“Free exercise of religion is a
fundamental right of the highest order in this state.”). State and federal law
protect your right to assemble in a public square to worship and protest.
United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Neil Gorsuch has recently
explained that the “Government is not free to disregard the First Amendment in
times of crisis.” Roman Catholic Diocese of Brooklyn v. Cuomo.
Additionally, you are entitled to protection from tortious interference with
your private contractual relationships,” wrote AG Landry.
The Attorney General vowed to protect Daigle’s rights to
protest and worship and offered his assistance to “work with more hospitable
regions in our State, like your home Parish of Lafayette, if you and Dick Clark
Productions wish to move the event.”