This week will mark one year since the Supreme Court ruled that non-unanimous jury verdicts were unconstitutional. For about 1,500 Louisiana prisoners, that means a legal deadline is fast approaching.
Judges would be allowed to overrule prosecutors seeking decades-long sentence enhancements.
Previously, Williams said only that he would refuse low-level marijuana charges.
Claims of innocence should be heard on the merits, officials in Williams' office say.
Albert Thibodeaux was given a six month deferred suspension from practicing law.
More than a dozen people appeared in court on Wednesday after making deals with the Orleans Parish DA’s office. Many are now set to go free immediately.
The state denies that the language creates quotas, saying that funding is not dependent on meeting the targets.
Public defenders have pushed for mass dismissals of old cases and misdemeanors, but DA Jason Williams says prosecutors will look at each case individually