BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) – Last week, New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell said that Lauren Daigle should not take part in the 2021 ‘Rockin’ New Year’s Eve’ celebration.
On Monday, Attorney General Jeff Landry threw support behind Louisiana-born singer Lauren Daigle.
Landry released this statement:
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 shocked 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.”
A copy of the letter to Daigle can be found below:
Believe it or not, Daigle has only been making music for ten years.