Friday, June 21, 2002 | 11:28 a.m.
NEW ORLEANS -- A sharply split Louisiana Supreme Court upheld today a 1996 law forbidding politicians to take campaign donations from casinos or casino groups.
Chief Justice Pascal Calogero and two other judges said the court should have struck down the law, as it did a law against donations from anyone with a video poker license.
The four-judge majority opinion, written by Justice Jeffery Victory, said there were significant differences between the two laws.
"For example, there are no limits on the number of persons who may be licensed to operate video poker in this state," Victory wrote. "In contrast, the Legislature has authorized only a single land-based casino and only 15 riverboats."
In addition, he noted, the ban on video poker contributions did not apply equally to everyone in the business, while the casino rules were uniform.
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