Landry declines to reappoint Louisiana’s prison chief but will keep him in the job

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Gov. Jeff Landry left state corrections leader Jimmy LeBlanc off the list of dozens of officials he’s submitted for Louisiana Senate confirmation, raising questions about how long LeBlanc will remain in the job he has held for 16 years.

Landry’s office declined to comment on why the governor didn’t reappoint LeBlanc as secretary of the Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections, but the governor expects LeBlanc to stay in the position even without Senate confirmation. 

“According to the law, every public officer shall serve until his successor is inducted into office. Secretary LeBlanc was never appointed or submitted to the Senate for confirmation, therefore he can continue to serve in his capacity until a successor has been appointed,” Kate Kelly, Landry’s spokesperson, said in a written statement.

“Ensuring strong leadership at the Department of Public Safety and Corrections is top priority for our office,” she said. “We would not allow this position to become vacant.”

There is a disagreement about whether the governor’s move is legal. Staff advising lawmakers said someone who isn’t confirmed can’t continue to hold their position after the Louisiana Legislature adjourns Monday.

Terry Ryder, former lead attorney for Govs. Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco, agrees with this interpretation of the law. He said in an interview Landry must submit LeBlanc’s name for confirmation, and the Senate must vote to approve his selection or else LeBlanc will have to be removed from his job in a few days, according to state law. 

Jimmy LeBlanc (Louisiana Department of Public Safety and Corrections)

Even if keeping LeBlanc without Senate confirmation is allowed, it’s still unusual. LeBlanc’s job is one of the most high-profile and complex in all of state government. The person who holds that type position nearly always goes through the Senate confirmation process.

LeBlanc oversees Louisiana’s sprawling prison system, with more than 28,000 incarcerated people, and manages the state’s probation and parole operations serving another 43,000 people. His department also has oversight of Louisiana State Police, the Office of Juvenile Justice and the Office of Motor Vehicles, although the secretary’s tasks have largely become clerical in nature.

The state prison system alone has 2,100 employees and an annual budget of more than $1 billion when juvenile justice services are included. 

Unlike many state agencies, turnover in prison system leadership is also rare. There have been just two corrections secretaries over the past 30 years and five governors’ terms. 

LeBlanc has served in the position for Govs. Bobby Jindal and John Bel Edwards. His predecessor, Richard Stalder, held the job for 16 years under Govs. Edwin Edwards, Mike Foster and Kathleen Blanco. 

Parish sheriffs, a powerful constituency for statewide elected officials, pressured Landry to commit to keeping LeBlanc in charge before he became governor. They find LeBlanc direct, honest and easy to work with. 

Landry has made public safety and a tough-on-crime approach top priorities of his administration, but he has never appeared enthusiastic about working with LeBlanc, the state’s top public safety official. 

The governor quietly announced he would keep LeBlanc on as prisons chief in January, but he didn’t hold a news conference to make an announcement about the appointment as he did with other cabinet secretaries. 

As John Bel Edwards’ prison system leader, LeBlanc advocated for the former governor’s criminal justice overhaul in 2017, which shortened prison sentences for thousands of people and reduced the state’s highest-in-the-country incarceration rate. 

Landry vehemently opposed these criminal justice changes and successfully pushed to undo large portions of that package earlier this year. 

It’s unclear whether any of the other people Landry submitted to the Senate for review would be up for LeBlanc’s job if he was removed. LeBlanc didn’t return phone calls or texts for comment Friday.

Mike Ranatza, with the Louisiana Sheriffs Association, said in an interview Friday he was confident LeBlanc would continue to run the prison system, whether he received Senate confirmation or not.

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