As Louisiana’s governor faces ethics charges, his lawyer raises bar for future ethics investigations

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Louisiana lawmakers pass ethics board overhaul limiting investigations.

Gov. Landry’s personal attorney authored the legislation.

Critics say the law protects officials and weakens accountability.

New bill also reduces anonymous complaints and media-based probes.

Louisiana is poised to adopt new measures that watchdogs warn raise barriers to holding public officials accountable via the state’s ethics board. The legislation was drafted by the personal attorney of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry , who faces charges brought by the board for violating state ethics laws.

Proponents say the measures give those accused of ethics violations more opportunities to respond to allegations, increases transparency and limits abuses of a process they claim is often unjust.