NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune joined The Daily Reveille Editor in Chief Andrea Gallo and The Advocate on Monday by filing a lawsuit against the LSU Board of Supervisors regarding the Board’s refusal to release a list of finalists for the University presidency.

The petition is the third of its kind, as the other two suits were filed last Monday after the Board of Supervisors released a statement upholding its original position not to fulfill the public records requests. 

“The optimal outcome is getting the names of the finalists. Really, that’s what I want out of this,” Gallo said. “I want to show LSU the importance of being transparent with its searches and set a precedent for other universities. This should be a priority for all future searches.”

In a news release last week, LSU said it plans to “vigorously defend” against the lawsuits.

NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune and The Advocate plan to merge the cases pending the consent of 19th Judicial Judge Wilson Fields, to whom the NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune case was assigned. The Advocate’s suit was assigned to Judge Janice Clark, who already signed the consent order to merge the cases.

Scott Sternberg, Gallo’s attorney, said the decision to merge is at his client’s discretion. Gallo said she plans to keep her lawsuit separate for now.

The NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune lawsuit states the public is entitled to “the name of each applicant for a public position of authority or a public position with policymaking duties” under state law.

Presidential Search Committee Chairman and Board member Blake Chatelain said on March 27 that the Board absolutely stands by its decision not to release the names of presidential candidates. Keeping candidates’ confidentiality is the “norm in 45 states,” he said.

LSU General Counsel Shelby McKenzie wrote to NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune reporter Quincy Hodges, saying LSU “has no public record that identifies candidates … other than the recommendation of the Presidential Search Committee of the LSU Board of Supervisors of F. King Alexander … which you are welcome to review.”

The president position, which combines the role of University chancellor and system president, was filled March 27 when the Board approved the Presidential Search Committee’s nomination of Alexander as the sole finalist.

The pool of potential nominees was narrowed from a candidate pool of about 35 names to six or seven before the Board announced Alexander as the finalist, Chatelain said.

The NOLA.com | The Times-Picayune’s hearing, originally set for April 15, was pushed back to April 25. Gallo’s hearing is set for April 18.

“I want to show LSU the importance of being transparent with its searches and set a precedent for other universities.”