BATON ROUGE — Gov. Jeff Landry wants to move West Feliciana Parish from the Middle District federal court to the Western District, saying the number of cases that pop up at the Louisiana State Penitentiary contributes to a strain on the court system.

The letters, dated Thursday, ask Sen. John Kennedy and Reps. Cleo Fields, Mike Johnson and Julia Letlow to move West Feliciana in order to "improve judicial efficiency and better address public safety needs in East Baton Rouge Parish and the state of Louisiana."

Landry said that the parishes in the Middle District — Ascension, East Baton Rouge, East Feliciana, Iberville, Livingston, Pointe Coupee, St. Helena, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes — have seen a significant amount of population growth.

He said this resulted in an "explosion" in the district's caseload, citing that there has been a 35.2% increase in filings since 2020. There are currently 25% more filings per judge in the Middle District than the Western District, which includes two-thirds of the state. 

Landry argues that the Middle District's growth has spread resources thin "when our Capitol City needs them most." 

The body of the letters read as follows: