Louisiana Amendment 3, Legislative Authority to Determine Crimes for Trying Juveniles as Adults Amendment (March 2025)

Louisiana Amendment 3
Election date March 29, 2025
Topic Criminal sentencing and Juvenile criminal justice
Status Defeated
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Louisiana Amendment 3, the Legislative Authority to Determine Crimes for Trying Juveniles as Adults Amendment, was on the ballot in Louisiana as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment on March 29, 2025. It was defeated.

A "yes" vote supported allowing the state legislature to determine in state law which specific felony crimes can result in a juvenile being tried as an adult.

A "no" vote opposed allowing the state legislature to determine in state law which specific felony crimes can result in a juvenile being tried as an adult; thereby retaining the current constitution which provides a list of applicable crimes.

Election results

Louisiana Amendment 3
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		212,343	33.61%
No		419,392	66.39%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

What would the amendment have done?

See also: Constitutional changes

Going into the election, the following crimes were listed in the state constitution for which the legislature, could, by a two-thirds (66.67%) vote, exclude from being applied with special juvenile procedures. Under the amendment, the list would have been removed from the constitution, and, instead, the legislature would have been authorized to determine in state law which crimes could result in a juvenile being tried as an adult.

• first or second-degree murder;
• attempted first or second-degree murder;
• manslaughter;
• aggravated rape, forcible rape, or simple rape;
• armed robbery;
• aggravated burglary;
• aggravated kidnapping;
• second-degree kidnapping;
• a second or subsequent aggravated battery;
• a second or subsequent aggravated burglary;
• a second or subsequent offense of burglary of an inhabited dwelling; and
• a second or subsequent felony-grade violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law or prohibited transactions in drug-related objects, involving the manufacture, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances.

At the time of the election in Louisiana, individuals who committed a crime between the ages of 10 and 17 years old were considered juveniles and could be tried under juvenile procedures. If tried in juvenile court, the individuals could only be held in prison until age 21 unless transferred to adult court.

What did supporters and opponents say about the amendment?

See also: Support and Opposition

This amendment was passed in the state legislature along partisan lines with Republicans in favor and all but one Democrat opposed.

Amendment sponsor State Sen. Heather Cloud (R-28) said, "This is very important legislation. It builds upon successes that we’ve already achieved that are critical to the overall well-being and safety and security of our state for today and for future generations."

Say No! to Them All and No on 3 opposed the amendment. Opponents included the ACLU of Louisiana, Invest in Louisiana, and Louisiana Center for Children's Rights. Say No! to Them All said, "This amendment is shrouded in mystery—no one knows who even asked for the Amendment in the first place. When the author of the amendment was quizzed on which additional crimes she wanted to send kids to adult prisons for, she named only crimes that already allow this under current law. Either she’s shockingly ignorant of her own policy or wants to hide the amendment’s true intent." No on 3 said, "Amendment 3 would expose more youth to the dangers of adult jails, where they face significantly higher risks of suicide and long-term harm, while worsening Louisiana’s already overburdened and costly legal system. This policy disproportionately impacts marginalized youth and undermines the rehabilitative focus of the juvenile legal system, leading to greater societal and financial costs without improving public safety."

Text of measure

Constitutional changes

See also: Article V, Louisiana Constitution

The measure would have amended Section 19 of Article V of the Louisiana Constitution. The following underlined text would have been added and struck-through text would have been deleted.

§19. Special Juvenile Procedures

Section 19. The determination of guilt or innocence, the detention, and the custody of a person who is alleged to have committed a crime prior to his seventeenth birthday shall be pursuant to special juvenile procedures which shall be provided by law. However, the legislature may (1) by a two-thirds vote of the elected members of each house provide that special juvenile procedures shall not apply to juveniles arrested for having committed first or second degree murder, manslaughter, aggravated rape, armed robbery, aggravated burglary, aggravated kidnapping, attempted first degree murder, attempted second degree murder, forcible rape, simple rape, second degree kidnapping, a second or subsequent aggravated battery, a second or subsequent aggravated burglary, a second or subsequent offense of burglary of an inhabited dwelling, or a second or subsequent felony-grade violation of Part X or X-B of Chapter 4 of Title 40 of the Louisiana Revised Statutes of 1950, involving the manufacture, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances certain felony offenses provided by law, and (2) by two-thirds vote of the elected members of each house lower the maximum ages of persons to whom juvenile procedures shall apply, and (3) by two-thirds vote of the elected members of each house establish a procedure by which the court of original jurisdiction may waive special juvenile procedures in order that adult procedures shall apply in individual cases. The legislature, by a majority of the elected members of each house, shall make special provisions for detention and custody of juveniles who are subject to the jurisdiction of the district court pending determination of guilt or innocence.

Support

Supporters

Officials

• Gov. Jeff Landry (R)
• State Sen. Heather Cloud (R)
• State Sen. Jay Morris (R)
• State Rep. Debbie Villio (R)

Arguments

• State Sen. Heather Cloud (R): "This is very important legislation. It builds upon successes that we’ve already achieved that are critical to the overall well-being and safety and security of our state for today and for future generations."
• Gov. Jeff Landry (R): "[R]ight now on the ballot, there are four amendments, and one of those amendments is Amendment 3 that is going to further aid us."
• Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana Voter Guide: "Louisiana is rare in including such a specific list of the crimes for which a juvenile can be tried in adult criminal court in its constitution. Decades have passed since the list was last adjusted in Louisiana, and the types and severity of crimes committed by young people has worsened since then. Lawmakers need more adaptability to respond to the changes in crime trends and to the needs of law enforcement and district attorneys who are trying to keep communities safe. Passage of the amendment won’t immediately change anything because lawmakers would have to reach the high hurdle of a two-thirds vote to add more crimes to the list. If lawmakers later choose to broaden the list of crimes for which people under the age of 17 can be tried as adults, only a small number of young people accused of severe crimes would be impacted. Those types of felony crimes should carry tough consequences if a person is found guilty. In addition, teenagers accused of such felony crimes shouldn’t be housed with much younger offenders because they could harm them or inappropriately coerce them into worse criminal activity."
• State Rep. Debbie Villio (R-79): "... this isn’t about prosecuting 10-year-olds as adults, and it isn’t about prosecuting juveniles for petty crimes. It is limited to 15-and 16-year-olds and for serious felony offenses only."

Opposition

Say No! to Them All and No on 3 led the campaign in opposition to the measure.

Opponents

Organizations

• ACLU of Louisiana
• Coalition for Compassionate Schools
• East Baton Rouge Parish Reform Coalition
• Families & Friends of Louisiana’s Incarcerated Children
• Invest in Louisiana
• Justice and Accountability Center of Louisiana
• Louisiana Center for Children's Rights
• Louisiana Fair Housing Action Center
• Louisiana Organization for Refugees and Immigrants
• PREACH
• Power Coalition for Equity & Justice
• Southern Poverty Law Center
• The Promise of Justice Initiative
• Vera Institute of Justice
• Voices of the Experienced
• Voters Organized to Educate

Arguments

• Michael Cahoon of Promise of Justice Initiative: "It’s a real profound social failure when we have to give up on kids."
• Southern Poverty Law Center: "Children should be treated differently than adults. The Louisiana Legislature has chosen a path that disregards decades of evidence showing that rehabilitative juvenile justice approaches lead to better outcomes for children and public safety. This decision fails our children and our communities. Instead of investing in solutions that address the root causes of juvenile delinquency, Senate Bill 2 doubles down on punitive measures that increase recidivism and perpetuate cycles of injustice. SPLC stands firmly against this harmful measure and urges Louisiana voters to reject it at the ballot box."
• Chris Alexander of the Louisiana Citizen Advocacy Group: "It’s going to do nothing to reduce crime in Louisiana. Nothing."
• No on 3: "Amendment 3 would expose more youth to the dangers of adult jails, where they face significantly higher risks of suicide and long-term harm, while worsening Louisiana’s already overburdened and costly legal system. This policy disproportionately impacts marginalized youth and undermines the rehabilitative focus of the juvenile legal system, leading to greater societal and financial costs without improving public safety. ... Amendment 3 would expand the ability to try youth as adults for nearly any offense, including nonviolent crimes like shoplifting, exposing more youth to adult sentencing without clear benefits. ... Louisiana already spends over $1 billion annually on its justice system, yet expanding adult courts for youth will only increase costs without improving public safety."
• Say No! to Them All: "This amendment is shrouded in mystery—no one knows who even asked for the Amendment in the first place. When the author of the amendment was quizzed on which additional crimes she wanted to send kids to adult prisons for, she named only crimes that already allow this under current law. Either she’s shockingly ignorant of her own policy or wants to hide the amendment’s true intent."
• Public Affairs Research Council of Louisiana Voter Guide: "Young people should be treated differently from adults because research shows teenagers have a lack of maturity and impulse control along with a higher capacity for rehabilitation. The list of crimes for which a juvenile can be tried as an adult was crafted to reflect those concerns. If lawmakers want to adjust the list, they can add crimes in the constitution. The amendment could lead to attempts to imprison young people in punitive adult prisons for lesser offenses that don’t deserve such harsh treatment, rather than in juvenile detention facilities that have a focus to reform young people. Louisiana has had one of the nation’s highest incarceration rates per capita for decades, but the state isn’t any safer than others. Leaders should focus on root causes of crime and prioritize improving education, literacy and skills training rather than incarceration. Sheriffs already don’t have the space to house people under 18 in their jails and comply with federal laws requiring those offenders to be segregated; treating more youths as adults would worsen the problem and likely increase taxpayer costs. Also, putting teenagers with adult prisoners could create more hardened criminals, since teenagers incarcerated in adult jails have higher rates of reoffending."
• Mary Livers, former deputy secretary of juvenile justice: "The professionals in corrections that worked in this field do not think this is a good idea. We do not want to send more kids to adult prisons. That may get people elected but it’s not good policy."
• Sarah Omojola, the executive director of Vera Institute New Orleans: "These are grasps for more power. We’re really trying to cage up and defund Louisiana’s future. Every single session from now until, well, the end of time, legislators could just advance a bill adding more things for which children will be charged as adults. It opens a pathway for the legislature to send more kids of any age to the adult system for any time, for any violent or non violent crime."

Campaign finance

See also: Campaign finance requirements for Louisiana ballot measures

The campaign finance information on this page reflects the most recent scheduled reports that Ballotpedia has processed, which covered through April 28, 2025.

Vera Institute of Justice Inc. registered to oppose Amendment 3 and three other amendments on the March 2025 ballot. The committee reported $559,674.75 in contributions. It is unknown how much was spent on each measure individually.

Ballotpedia did not identify committees registered to support Amendment 3.

	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Support	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00	$0.00
Oppose	$559,674.75	$0.00	$559,674.75	$559,674.75	$559,674.75
Total	$559,674.75	$0.00	$559,674.75	$559,674.75	$559,674.75

Opposition

The following table includes contribution and expenditure totals for the committee in opposition to Amendment 3.

Committees in opposition to Amendment 3
Committee	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions	Cash Expenditures	Total Expenditures
Vera Institute of Justice Inc.	$559,674.75	$0.00	$559,674.75	$559,674.75	$559,674.75
Total	$559,674.75	$0.00	$559,674.75	$559,674.75	$559,674.75

Donors

Following are the top donors to the committee.

Donor	Cash Contributions	In-Kind Contributions	Total Contributions
Vera Institute of Justice Inc	$449,639.75	$0.00	$449,639.75
ACLU of Louisiana	$25,000.00	$0.00	$25,000.00
Foundation for Louisiana	$25,000.00	$0.00	$25,000.00
Louisiana Center for Children's Rights	$20,000.00	$0.00	$20,000.00
Navigation Charitable Fund	$20,000.00	$0.00	$20,000.00

Methodology

To read Ballotpedia's methodology for covering ballot measure campaign finance information, click here.

Media editorials

See also: 2025 ballot measure media endorsements

Support

You can share campaign information or arguments, along with source links for this information, at editor@ballotpedia.org.

Opposition

• NOLA Editorial Board: "This proposal, if enacted, would remove the current list of 16 mostly violent felonies from the constitution and give the Legislature the ability to add and remove crimes to that list at will. We feel the current list of crimes for which juveniles can be tried as adults is sufficient. We recommend a no vote."

Background

Article V, Louisiana Constitution

At the time of the election, Section 19 of Article V of the Louisiana Constitution listed specific crimes for which the legislature, could, by a two-thirds (66.67%) vote, exclude from being applied with special juvenile procedures.

• first or second-degree murder;
• attempted first or second-degree murder;
• manslaughter;
• aggravated rape, forcible rape, or simple rape;
• armed robbery;
• aggravated burglary;
• aggravated kidnapping;
• second-degree kidnapping;
• a second or subsequent aggravated battery;
• a second or subsequent aggravated burglary;
• a second or subsequent offense of burglary of an inhabited dwelling; and
• a second or subsequent felony-grade violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law or prohibited transactions in drug-related objects, involving the manufacture, distribution, or possession with intent to distribute controlled dangerous substances.

Juvenile court in Louisiana

There are four juvenile courts with a total of 14 judges in Louisiana. Juvenile court judges are elected to six-year terms, except in Orleans Parish, where the judges serve eight-year terms.

Special juvenile procedures in Louisiana

In Louisiana, individuals being tried under special juvenile procedures, individuals 17 years old and younger who are tried in juvenile court may only be held in prison until age 21 unless transferred to adult court.

Senate Bill 431 (2024)

State Sen. Heather Cloud (R-28) sponsored Senate Bill 431, which was passed by the state legislature by a vote of 96-2 in the state House and 33-0 in the state Senate and signed by Gov. Jeff Landry (R) on June 11, 2024. SB 431 established the Criminal Justice Priority Funding Commission Program in Louisiana to provide funding for projects related to the expansion of juvenile detention facilities, adult correctional facilities, law enforcement facilities, crime labs, criminal justice data integration, and other criminal justice priorities.

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Louisiana Constitution

In Louisiana, a two-thirds vote is needed in each chamber of the Louisiana State Legislature to refer a legislatively referred constitutional amendment to the ballot for voter consideration.

This amendment was introduced as Senate Bill 2. It was passed in the Senate by a vote of 28-9 on November 14, 2024. It was amended in the House on November 22 and passed in a vote of 70-25. The Senate concurred with the amendments on the same day in a vote of 28-10.

Partisan Direction Index = +97.2% (Republican)

Democratic Support

2.8%

Republican Support

100.0%

How does this vote compare to other legislative ballot measures in 2025?
Learn more about the ballot measures PDI →

Louisiana House of Representatives

Voted on November 22, 2024

Votes Required to Pass: 70
	Yes	No	NV
Total	70	25	10
Total %	66.7%	23.8%	9.5%
Democratic (D)	1	25	6
Republican (R)	69	0	3
Independent (I)	0	0	1

Louisiana State Senate

Voted on November 22, 2024

Votes Required to Pass: 26
	Yes	No	NV
Total	28	10	1
Total %	71.8%	25.6%	2.6%
Democratic (D)	0	10	1
Republican (R)	28	0	0

Lawsuit

Lawsuit overview
Issue: Whether the state legislature followed proper procedures to refer Amendment 1 and 3 to the ballot; whether the proposed amendments violate the separate vote requirement
Court: Louisiana Supreme Court
Plaintiff(s): Voice of the Experienced (VOTE)	Defendant(s): The state legislature and elections officials

  Source: NOLA

Voice of the Experienced (VOTE) filed a lawsuit alleging that Amendment 1 and Amendment 3 should be removed from the March 29 ballot. Plaintiffs alleged that Amendment 1 was advanced to the floor of the House despite a committee voting against the amendment and alleged that the amendment unconstitutionally addresses more than one change. Plaintiffs also alleged that Amendment 3 did not fit within the boundaries of the governor's call for the special session in which it was passed. VOTE said, "The same rules they expect us to follow, they’ve ignored. They assume nobody’s paying attention, but we know how these systems work."

The amendments appeared on the ballot, however, as of April 1, 2025, the litigation was still ongoing.

How to cast a vote

See also: Voting in Louisiana

See below to learn more about current voter registration rules, identification requirements, and poll times in Louisiana.

How to vote in Louisiana

Poll times

In Louisiana, polls are open from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Central time for Tuesday elections. For Saturday elections, polls open at 7:00 a.m. If the polls close while a voter is in line, he or she will still be permitted to vote.

Registration

Check your voter registration status here.

To vote in Louisiana, one must provide documentary proof of United States citizenship and be a resident of the state and parish in which they register. A voter must be at least 18 years old by Election Day.

Registration completed via mail or in person must occur at least 30 days before Election Day. Registration completed online must occur at least 20 days before Election Day. Registrants must present a valid form of identification to register. Pre-registration is available beginning at age 16.

Voters may register in person at any Registrar of Voters office or any of the following places:

• Louisiana Office of Motor Vehicles
• Louisiana Department of Social Services
• WIC offices
• Food stamp offices
• Medicaid offices
• Offices and agencies serving people with disabilities
• Military recruitment offices

Automatic registration

Louisiana does not practice automatic voter registration.

Online registration

See also: Online voter registration

Louisiana has implemented an online voter registration system. Residents can register to vote by visiting this website.

Same-day registration

Louisiana does not allow same-day voter registration.

Residency requirements

Louisiana law requires 20 days of residency in the state before a person may vote.

Verification of citizenship

See also: Laws permitting noncitizens to vote in the United States

Louisiana state law requires a voter registration applicant to provide proof of citizenship to register to vote. As of June 2025, the state had not implemented the requirement.

All 49 states with voter registration systems require applicants to declare that they are U.S. citizens in order to register to vote in state and federal elections, under penalty of perjury or other punishment. Seven states — Alabama, Arizona, Georgia, Kansas, Louisiana, New Hampshire, and Wyoming — have laws requiring verification of citizenship at the time of voter registration, whether in effect or not. One state, Ohio, requires proof of citizenship only when registering to vote at a Bureau of Motor Vehicles facility. In three states — California, Maryland, and Vermont — at least one local jurisdiction allows noncitizens to vote in some local elections. Noncitizens registering to vote in those elections must complete a voter registration application provided by the local jurisdiction and are not eligible to register as state or federal voters.

Verifying your registration

The site Geaux Vote, run by the Louisiana Secretary of State office, allows residents to check their voter registration status online.

Voter ID requirements

Louisiana requires voters to present photo identification while voting.

Voters can present the following forms of identification. This list was current as of October 2025. Click here to ensure you have the most current information.

• Louisiana driver's license
• Louisiana special identification card
• LA Wallet digital driver's license
• Military ID that contains the name and signature of the applicant
• Other generally recognized picture identification card that contains the name and signature of the voter

Registered voters can bring their voter information card to the Office of Motor Vehicles to receive a free Louisiana special identification card.

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External links

• Senate Bill 2

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