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Lawsuit Filed Against Criminal Court Judges
New Orleans - A lawsuit was filed today against judges at Orleans Parish Criminal Court. The dispute stems from a fee that they apparently have not been collecting that would provide funding to the Public Defenders Office.
Marijuana, Misdemeanor Offenses Will Now Get Just A Court Summons, No Trip To Jail
New orleans - The criminal justice community is hailing a City Council decision Thursday as a progressive reform that can help the city run more efficiently.
Ten New Orleans Organizations To Share $1.5 Million In Federal Crime-fighting Money
Nola.com - December 13, 2010
New Orleans - Ten local public and private organizations will share a $1.5 million federal grant that will underwrite activities designed to prevent and fight crime.
As Council Passes Budget, Some Worry About Higher Taxes
WWLTV.com - December 1, 2010
New orleans – As the New Orleans City Council passed the 2011 budget Wednesday, word spread quickly about spikes in fees and property taxes.
Carrie Ellis and Daniel Engelberg Take on New Roles
OPD is excited to announce two staff promotions – Carrie Ellis has been named Training Director and Daniel Engelberg named Deputy Chief of Trials.
As Training Director, Carrie will continue the development and implementation of OPD’s extensive training programs for new and established attorneys that support our mission and vision, meet client needs, and keep attorneys current on the latest changes and most important aspects of criminal law.
Daniel Engelberg takes on the newly created role of Deputy Chief of Trials. Working closely with Chief of Trials Kendall Green, Daniel will help identify and address specific case challenges with staff attorneys, investigators, client services advocates, social workers and court support administrators within the Trial Division.
Traffic Court Judges Should Play by the Rules
The Orleans Public Defenders office is at a crossroads. OPD is fighting for funding to stay afloat and provide constitutional legal defense to tens of thousands of poor people moving through the New Orleans criminal justice system each year.
While our fiscal crisis would not be solved by the additional money that auditors and the inspector general agree Traffic Court owes, OPD's problems would lessen.
The New Orleans Traffic Court owes us money. It's that simple.
What does $500,000 mean to OPD? It equals about 10 attorneys. Put another way, it means the ability to handle at least 1,500 more felony cases per year. It means attorneys for clients currently on a waiting list.
Story continues... Read more at NOLA.COM
