East Baton Rouge District Attorney Hillar Moore is suing the East Baton Rouge Parish Metro Council and Mayor-President Sid Edwards in hopes of getting the $22.6 million he asked for in his 2026 budget proposal.
His office received $8.3 million from the parish in the 2026 budget and from a supplement, totaling about 37% of what he asked for. Moore first threatened his lawsuit — which he, Edwards and multiple council members have called a “friendly lawsuit” — late last year during the budgeting process.
His argument is based on Reed v. Washington Parish Police Jury, a case from the 1980s where former District Attorney Walter Reed successfully sued Washington Parish because it inadequately funded his office.
In that case, Washington Parish allocated about $42,000, just under 29% of the $145,000 the DA asked for. In its judgment, the Louisiana Supreme Court ruled that it is the mandatory duty of a police jury to fund its associated district attorney’s office in its entirety, with the caveat that the funding request be reasonable.
Moore argued that his request is reasonable because his office cannot effectively run on what the parish provides, and it has lost employees to the attorney general’s office because it doesn’t allow for competitive pay.
Brett Furr, the attorney representing the parish, argued in a motion to the court that Moore’s request is unreasonable because the budget request includes a chart that estimates $18 million is the minimum needed to meet his office’s constitutional mandate.
Furr also points out that in Reed, the court made mention of Washington Parish being able to afford the appropriation. At the time of the budget, the parish was dealing with a budget crisis.
He also asked that the case be dismissed because Moore is using the wrong legal mechanism. Moore is seeking what’s called a Writ of Mandamus, essentially a judge telling a public official to take action. But Furr argued Moore’s request requires the judge to make a discretionary decision, which cannot be done through a Mandamus.
The filing also asks for the cities within the parish to be added to the lawsuit, making special mention of the new City of St George, citing Jean-Paul Tujague’s testimony during the trial to block the creation of St. George.
According to the transcription of Tujague’s deposition included as evidence with the statement, he said there was money set aside for the district attorney and other constitutionally mandated offices to send to the parish general fund.
“St. George recognized the benefits of the District Attorney to its residents as it made funding the District Attorney part of its platform to support its incorporation,” Furr wrote.
An attached table indicates it was estimated to be about $1.3 million in funding. That money has never appeared.
“Now that it has incorporated, and it is time to write a check, St. George has reneged. St. George must be held to the commitments it made when it sought incorporation,” Furr wrote.
Furr also argues that the other city should be included, as they also use the DA’s services.
