LOUISIANA, USA — Wednesday, a federal judge heard the arguments from both sides regarding Act 259, which went into effect Aug. 1.
The law requires people to stay 25 feet away from an officer performing their official duties if the officer tells them to stay back.
WWL Louisiana’s ownership company, Tegna Inc., is a part of the lawsuit seeking an injunction, along with Verite News, Gannett Co., Inc., Gray Local Media, Inc., Nexstar Media, Inc., and Scripps Media Inc. Those companies own news stations and newspapers across the state.
Attorneys for those organizations argue the law violates both the First and Fourteenth Amendments. They say that 25 feet is an arbitrary number and the language of the law is too vague to be enforced fairly.
The state argues that this is about keeping law enforcement safe while they’re investigating, and making sure no one gets in the way by getting too close.
District Judge John W. deGravelles has not made a decision and has requested a brief from attorneys for the news organizations before giving the defendants a chance to respond.
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