Today, the 19th Judicial District Court disqualified Baker Donelson from representing the plaintiffs in Faulk v. Landry after finding that the firm’s conflict required consent from the Governor or Attorney General—not reliance on a years-old blanket waiver.

The court also dissolved the temporary restraining order previously entered against the State. Because Baker Donelson was disqualified and no other plaintiffs’ counsel was enrolled, the court did not take up the preliminary injunction.

The Attorney General’s Office argued that Baker Donelson could not represent Governor Jeff Landry in active litigation while suing him in this case. The court agreed that the firm could not rely on a stale consent waiver to proceed against a current state client.

“Great job by my Solicitor General and his staff. This was a serious conflict, and the court got it right. A law firm cannot represent the Governor in one courtroom and sue him in another without proper consent. The Governor and the Legislature made a commitment to our teachers. With the temporary restraining order dissolved, I am hopeful we can all move forward with the pay raise that our teachers deserve," said Attorney General Liz Murrill.

The State has terminated its contracts with Baker Donelson.