STORY FROM THE ADVOCATE
Judge tells Odom courts will decide issue
Advocate staff writer
Published: July 2, 2007
A federal judge has legally tied the hands of Agriculture and Forestry Commissioner Bob Odom for assuming the role of a court and scheduling his own hearing to decide whether his own actions are constitutional...
The judge also issued an injunction against Odom.
One day after Brady had ordered the Piazza’s Seafood case to be taken up in state court, Odom tried to convene his own hearing on the matter.
“What’s going on here?” Brady asked at the beginning of Monday’s hearing in Baton Rouge federal court. “The state court needs to resolve all this. I didn’t intend for the commissioner to be the one to decide this.
“I’m not going to sit here and let the commissioner decide whether his own actions are constitutional or not.”
Brady on Monday barred Odom from holding any of his own hearings until a state court has settled the matter. He also gave lawyers for Piazza’s Seafood two days to file the necessary papers to have their case heard by a state judge."