Katrina Jackson-Andrews | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Louisiana Senate from the 34th district | |
| Assumed office January 13, 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Francis Thompson |
| Member of the LouisianaHouseofRepresentatives from the 16th district | |
| In office January 2012 –January 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Kay Katz |
| Succeeded by | Frederick Jones |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 1977 (age 48) |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Education | University of Louisiana,Monroe (BA) Southern University (JD) |
Katrina Renee Jackson-Andrews (born July 1977) [1] is an American attorney and politician from Monroe,Louisiana,who is a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate for the 34th district,serving since 2020. From 2012 until 2020,Jackson served in the Louisiana House of Representatives for the 16th district,which includes Morehouse and Ouachita parishes.
Jackson earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Louisiana at Monroe and a Juris Doctor from the Southern University Law Center in Baton Rouge. [2]
Jackson was elected to the state House in 2011. She serves on the Agriculture,Forestry,Aquaculture,and Rural Development Committee,the Commerce Committee,the Health and Welfare Committee,the Appropriations Committee,the Committee on Joint Budget,and the House Executive Committee. Jackson is a member of the Louisiana Legislative Women's Caucus and the Louisiana Rural Caucus,and is the head of the Louisiana Legislative Black Caucus. [2]
In 2014,Jackson,who unlike most national Democrats opposes abortion,authored House Bill 388,which would require abortion providers to have admitting privileges with a hospital near their clinics. The law was approved in the House with only five dissenters. If passed,it would reportedly have resulted in three of the state's five abortion clinics closing immediately. [3] The bill was argued to be unconstitutional under the precedent set by the decision in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt ,and was struck down as such by the Supreme Court of the United States in June Medical Services,LLC v. Russo in June 2020. [4]
On January 22,2016,Jackson was a guest speaker at the March for Life in Washington,D.C. [5]
In the nonpartisan blanket primary on October 12,2019,Jackson was elected unopposed to succeed term-limited Democratic lawmaker Francis C. Thompson for District 34 in the Louisiana State Senate. [6]
In 2022,Governor John Bel Edwards signed Senate Bill 342,which was sponsored by Jackson,into law. This law increases the criminal penalties for abortion providers under the state’s trigger laws,imposing prison sentences ranging from one to ten years,along with fines between $10,000 and $100,000. It does not allow exceptions for rape or incest,although it does provide exceptions for ectopic and medically futile pregnancies. Additionally,the law defines the beginning of pregnancy as occurring at the point of implantation. [7]
In 2023,several individuals claimed that Jackson had blocked them on Twitter due to their criticism of her. They filed a lawsuit,asserting that she had violated their First Amendment rights as an elected public official. Jackson argued that one user had engaged in "hate speech," which is not protected by the First Amendment. The other critics contended that they had not resorted to personal attacks or profanity. In her response,Jackson stated,"People who are blocked should send me an email,and we’ll consider whether they should be unblocked." [8]
On August 19,2025,U.S. District Judge Donald Walter ruled that Jackson's Twitter posts did not qualify as official government activity. Tulane Law School's First Amendment Clinic,which represents the plaintiffs,planned to appeal the decision. [9]