Sen. Troy Brown, D-Napoleonville, resigned Thursday afternoon — a day after the Louisiana Senate’s Select Committee on Discipline and Expulsion denied several of his evidence requests during its meeting Wednesday morning. The committee was scheduled to meet Monday morning to hear two resolutions on disciplinary action against Brown.
“It is readily apparent to me that a fair and impartial hearing before my peers will not transpire,” Brown said at a press conference.
Sen. Yvonne Colomb, D-Baton Rouge, stood beside Brown during his press conference. Brown thanked her for her support during the process.
Brown said he felt pressure to resign from the collective whole of the Senate, rather than the individuals. He said he pressed on with the matter to cast light on the Senate’s lack of due process in these matters. He said the Senate “tore down the very fabric of our government” during the committee meeting.
The senator said his actions, which included two no contest pleas, one to simple battery and one to domestic violence, merited punishment. But Craft argued during the meeting Wednesday that misdemeanors did not merit expulsion.
Brown said it was likely the Senate would vote to expel him while talking to reporters following Wednesday’s meeting. He also said going through the proceedings was worth the effort and that he had not heard from any of his constituents calling for his resignation.
After the meeting, Brown’s attorney, Jill Craft, voiced concerns over the Senate’s actions, arguing it stripped Brown of his right to due process. She called the upcoming hearing set for Monday, when the committee was slated to hear the two resolutions, a “dog and pony show.”
Sen. Dan Claitor, R-Baton Rouge, filed a resolution, Senate Resolution 3, calling for Brown’s expulsion. Colomb filed Senate Resolution 5 asking for a six-week suspension, $2,500 fine and six months in a domestic violence course.
The Louisiana Legislature has only expelled one other member — former Sen. Gaston Gerald in 1981 while he was in federal prison.
