The DA-elect lays out his plan for hiring staff and a new Civil Rights Division to be headed by former director of the Innocence Project New Orleans
In scathing report, judge says he has “lost trust” in the city.
Williams defeated Keva Landrum in Saturday's election. He has pledged to end the policies of mass incarceration in the city.
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments in a case that could overturn at least 1,500 split jury verdicts in Louisiana. But in Orleans Parish, hundreds convicted by a 10-2 jury may not have to rely on a court ruling, under pledges from Williams, Landrum.
At least one court staff member and one attorney with the public defenders office have tested positive.
A last-minute budget amendment will help the office hire outside attorneys to handle some cases. But lower ticket and fee revenues — and a growing backlog from COVID-19 court closures — are still causing problems.
The budget passed Thursday increased the public defenders allocation from the city by $1.8 million more than the mayor originally proposed
US Supreme Court found non-unanimous verdicts unconstitutional this year, but 1,500 prisoners await ruling on retroactivity.
Explaining its previous denials, the department said that it doesn’t employ its own facial recognition software. Instead, it accesses the technology through state and federal partners. An ACLU lawyer said that was a ‘distinction without a difference.’
The police department is facing a cut next year, but it’s relatively modest compared to other departments.
