A Donaldsonville resident has filed a federal lawsuit after the City Council unanimously adopted an ordinance that restricts the recording of public meetings, which the plaintiff says violates the First Amendment.

The ordinance, which passed June 24, requires recorders to provide notice to the council, allows the city to designate certain recording areas and states that recordings shall not “interfere with, distract, disrupt, or otherwise degrade decorum” nor “be intended to harass or intimidate” meeting officials or the public.

It threatens violators with criminal penalties of a $500 fine and 30-day jail imprisonment.

Shentelle Daigle, a former city council candidate and board of adjustments member, filed the lawsuit Thursday in the U.S. Middle District Court. The suit claims the ordin

See Full Page