Currently, prosecutors in both the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems have too much discretion in pressing charges, determining what sentences are sought, and negotiating plea deals. Trial by jury is a key tenant of the American criminal justice system, but heightened prosecutorial power significantly reduces the power and frequency of a trial by peers. Attempts at sentencing reform must address largely unchecked prosecutorial discretion.
“Rejecting Cannizzaro’s attempt to dismiss the case, U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo wrote that the district attorney’s subpoena practices, as alleged, amount to ‘systemic fraud’ and ‘shock the conscience.’ According to the judge, his request for immunity would ‘grant prosecutors a license to bypass the most basic checks on their authority.’ We agree.“
New Orleans Times Picayune
March 19, 2019
Read More“The use of bogus documents to alter the course of justice is clearly a bigger threat to the civilized order than many a crime that occupies the attention of Cannizzaro's enforcers. And this was no aberration, because they had been playing this trick for many years. Malice does not come much more forethought than this.“
The Advocate
March 13, 2019
Read More“‘To condone prolonged and unjustifiable delays in this case would both penalize defendant for the state’s fault and ‘simply encourage the government to gamble with the interests of criminal suspects assigned a low prosecutorial priority’,’ the judges said, quoting from another court ruling.“
The Advocate
September 14, 2018
Read More“Lawmakers in Louisiana passed the split-jury rule in 1880 after the 14th Amendment guaranteed all men, including former slaves, the right to vote and serve on juries. The rule was formally entered into the Louisiana Constitution at the state’s 1898 constitutional convention, where lawmakers declared a mission to ‘perpetuate the supremacy of the Anglo-Saxon race in Louisiana’.“
LA Times
September 12, 2018
Read More"Did a Louisiana police chief and a prosecutor cross a line when they issued televised threats to a man who'd just been granted relief by a federal appeals court in a child killing?"
The Appeal
July 3, 2018
Read More"Why Calcasieu? The parish is a four-hour drive from Caddo, all the way in the far south part of the state, so it’s not for convenience’s sake. Perhaps it’s because DeRosier’s office still reflects an antiquated outlook, where being tough on crime and winning to win is the driving ethos."
The Appeal
June 29, 2018
Read More"Most DA offices, however, just pocket the money and run, according to the enter. They “do not screen tickets, counsel motorists or provide any rehabilitative programming,” according to the complaint. They do, however, charge enough to realize a handsome profit, which provides a significant subsidy for their other operations. In some cases, traffic ticket diversion fees account for half the DA's overall budget. Some district attorneys make sure the money keeps rolling in by hiring off-duty cops just to pull drivers over."
The Advocate
June 23, 2018
Read More"The push to require Louisiana juries to return unanimous verdicts has resulted in some unusual alliances in Baton Rouge, with Tea Party Republicans lining up alongside members of the Legislative Black Caucus to demand change."
The Advocate
May 12, 2018
Read More"Oregon for 84 years has shared a constitutional quirk with Louisiana that allows criminal trials to be decided by non-unanimous juries. In every other state — and the federal court system — juries must reach unanimous verdicts in felony cases, whether convicting a serial arsonist or acquitting a low-level drug dealer...That is not the case here, to the shock and chagrin of many locals."
The Advocate
May 12, 2018
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