LA officials soon to be able to sue citizens over internet posts with their personal info

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BATON ROUGE, La. (Louisiana Illuminator) - Starting next year, hundreds of Louisiana officials will be able to sue private citizens, businesses and government entities for not removing their basic biographical information from the internet.

Gov. Jeff Landry and state lawmakers approved a new law earlier this year allowing a wide swath of public officials to bring lawsuits against those who don’t take down online posts with officials’ personal-identifying information when they request it.

Anyone who doesn’t take the information off social media or websites could also face criminal penalties under the new law, including up to 90 days in prison and a fine of up to $1,000 per violation.

States across the country have approved similar laws in recent years after a handful of high-profile attacks on judges and other politicians. By shielding their personal information from the public, government officials hope to reduce their risk to political violence.

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But Louisiana’s version is more sweeping than almost all other states’ laws. It will entitle a wider range of elected officials to sue over internet posts for more reasons, according to a review of dozens of states’ privacy laws.

Government transparency advocates said Louisiana’s law will infringe on citizens’ First Amendment rights and lead to frivolous lawsuits. Attorney Scott Sternberg described the new law as “wildly unconstitutional” in a memo he wrote on behalf of the Louisiana Press Association earlier this year.

“Effectively, the Louisiana Legislature has decided to criminalize the publication of a church birthday calendar, the mortgage documents required by federal law, birth announcements, engagement party RSVP websites and traffic tickets,” he wrote.

“This law will undoubtedly lead to more litigation, higher costs for public and private entities, and a chilling effect on speech,” Sternberg said.

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