August 16th, 2025

“Louisiana District Attorneys Association (LDAA), instead of accepting that these convictions were no good and trying to find a remedy for those who have lost their freedom without the agreement of a jury, has become the most significant barrier to making things right.

During Duplessis’s committee hearing on the bill, LDAA Executive Director Zachary Daniels cried about the laundry list of hardships he and his colleagues would experience by having to prove guilt or offer plea deals. Against the recommendation of a myriad of people and institutions, including Republican and conservative interests, two-thirds of the public, the reasoning of the SCOTUS, and hundreds of impacted families, the bill failed on party lines.

LDAA has disproportionate power in the legislature. Lawmakers must recognize the farce that the group serves them. The LDAA wants everyone to believe that despite DAs routinely tricking and violating the law and winning convictions without achieving unanimous verdicts, all resulting in an unparalleled prison rate, they have no obligation to and cannot now muster up the time or will to do their jobs on the back end.

It is not the job of DAs to put anyone they can round up away to die in a prison and to pressure lawmakers to do unconscionable things simply because they don’t want to do extra work. Lawmakers represent the public, including people sitting inside of prison. Lawmakers must prioritize what is right over those who cry wolf.”

- Samantha Kennedy, executive director of @justicespromise

LOUISIANA’S BLACK COMMUNITY DEMANDS A PROBE INTO THE LDAA's POLITICAL DOMINANCE

           Louisiana’s black residents represent 33% of the state population, but they account for 69% of the state's incarcerated felons. Louisiana has more prisoners serving life sentences without parole than Texas, Alabama,  Tennessee, Mississippi,  and Arkansas combined. Yet the vast majority of those sentenced to life in the state of Louisiana are black. Moreover, there are hundreds of men and women serving life sentences in Louisiana with unconstitutional convictions by non-unanimous juries. Why?

          The Louisiana District Attorney Association (LDAA) is the most powerful special interest group in Louisiana politics. Their influence holds public officials like the shackles confining those incarcerated. Handcuffed, most public officials, out of fear of political alienation and backlash from the LDAA, refuse to support criminal justice reform initiatives despite an obvious miscarriage of justice- a practice that has played out for decades.

   In the midst of public outcry, legal experts have criticized the LDAA for their refusal to support a just remedy for those who remain incarcerated by a non-unanimous jury verdict, and are now raising concerns about whether the LDA’s hold on Louisiana politics warrants an investigation. We believe only a deep dive into the practices of the Louisiana District Attorney Association can unveil the true nature of their iron grip.