The New Orleans City Council voted to enact an ordinance on Thursday that will require the city to fund the Orleans Public Defenders at 85 percent of the amount that it allocates to the Orleans Parish District Attorney’s Office — equal to the proportion of criminal cases the public defender’s estimate they handle in the city. The city currently gives the defenders about 35 percent of what it gives the DA.
Advocates say the law will translate to more equity in the courtroom for defendants facing criminal charges in New Orleans. In a statement, the Orleans Public Defenders office said the vote was a “historic moment for New Orleans.”
“This ordinance strikes a blow at the structural disparities infecting our entire system,” the statement read. "Today sends a message that all New Orleanians are valued, not just the rich and well connected.”
Read the full article at The Lens.
