BATON ROUGE — The East Baton Rouge Parish district attorney sued the city-parish government on Thursday, alleging the mayor and Metro Council haven't given his office enough money to do its job.

Hillar Moore III's lawsuit names Mayor-President Sid Edwards and each member of the Metro Council. The city-parish dedicated $7.359 million for Moore's office. He says he needs $22.6 million — about 200 percent more — or risks the continued loss of critical staff.

"The budget for the District Attorney's office was finally adopted ... on Dec. 9, 2025, and wholly failed to budget a sufficient amount to properly operate the office," Moore's lawsuit said.

Edwards' office did not respond to a telephone call seeking comment.

Parish voters last year rejected a property tax that would have raised about $24 million annually for Moore's office. The district attorney has said he needs more assistant district attorneys to stem an increase in the crime rate. 

He said state law and court precedent require the city-parish government to fund his office properly.

"The District Attorney simply cannot efficiently and property operate his constitutional office and perform his constitutional duties without adequate funding," he said in his lawsuit.

In a statement to reporters accompanying a copy of the lawsuit, Moore said that suing to obtain required funding was not without precedent.

"In the 190s, the District Attorney in Washington Parish sued and won," Moore said. He said that, until the court weighs in, his office would do "our best" to make sure violent criminals go to jail.