RJ Luis Jr. Lawyers File State Court Petition to Halt SEC Roster Penalty

Attorneys for RJ Luis Jr. filed a petition in Louisiana state district court on Tuesday to stop the Southeastern Conference from imposing penalties on LSU if the basketball player joins the roster. The filing asks Judge Ronald R. Johnson to block the SEC from using its new enforcement provisions to punish the Tigers for adding Luis. This legal move follows a preliminary injunction granted in late August that already limits the NCAA's power to block the player.

The petition was submitted in East Baton Rouge Parish, the same court where Judge Johnson previously ruled in Luis's favor against the NCAA. The lawyers argue that while the NCAA was enjoined, the SEC has stepped in to maintain the status quo. They state that the conference's policy is currently the primary barrier keeping Luis off the court. The filing requests a court order preventing LSU from following any SEC directives that would bar the player's participation.

Luis's legal team, led by Elliot Abrams of Raleigh and Tony Clayton of Baton Rouge, represents only the player. They are not acting on behalf of the university. The petition notes that LSU has not yet rostered Luis. The document claims the reason for this delay is the conference's protocols. The attorneys seek to ensure that the SEC cannot indirectly enforce the same restrictions previously placed on the NCAA.

The SEC has not issued an immediate comment on the new state court filing. A conference spokesman confirmed the receipt of the petition on Tuesday. The SEC is currently engaged in a separate federal lawsuit against LSU. In that federal case, the conference alleges that LSU is displaying ongoing defiance of its professionalism rules by attempting to add Luis. The SEC contends that its action protects the freedom of association rights of its member institutions.

In September, the SEC announced updated enforcement provisions for its rule against adding players with major professional experience. The new rules grant the commissioner broad powers. These include suspending coaches, fining universities up to half of a specific sport's budget, and restricting a member's voting privileges. The conference previously threatened to vote LSU out of the league if it retained two football players who had spent time with NFL clubs.

LSU elected not to add those football players, Dae'Quan Wright and Zxavian Harris, to its roster in early September. Both athletes had played for first-year head coach Lane Kiffin at Mississippi. A different state judge in Baton Rouge granted those two players a preliminary injunction against the NCAA and SEC during the first week of the football season. This parallel case has intensified the legal dispute between the university and the conference.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has actively supported LSU in the federal litigation. She has filed briefs urging the court to dismiss the SEC's claims. Murrill has publicly criticized the conference's legal stance, referring to the federal case as garbage. She has since been named as a defendant in the suit filed by the SEC. Her involvement has added a state-level political dimension to the ongoing legal battle.

Luis played three seasons of college basketball with two different teams before declaring for the 2025 NBA draft. He was the 2025 Big East Player of the Year with St. John's. After going undrafted, he briefly signed contracts with the Utah Jazz and Boston Celtics but never appeared in an NBA game. LSU coach Will Wade recruited Luis to return to the program for a second stint. The NCAA objected to his eligibility return because he did not follow the specific protocols for withdrawing from the draft process.