Federal judge: Orleans criminal court can't jail anyone for failing to pay fines or fees without 'neutral' hearing
"Barring an appeal, the ruling from U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance marks the end of a three-year legal battle over the so-called "debtors' prison" lawsuit brought by a handful of criminal convicts who were jailed for days or longer in Orleans Parish without a chance to prove they couldn't afford to pay the fines and fees they owed. "
The Advocate
August 3, 2018