Louisiana

Lawyer facing felony home invasion charge wants DA off the case; judge who owned the house agrees

An Alabama lawyer accused of home invasion for allegedly entering the New Orleans courtyard of a judge’s home and sparring with her husband wants the district attorney kicked off the case. So does the alleged victim Orleans Parish Judge Laurie White, the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports. The defendant, Joshua Stemle,…

Jun 27, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Louisiana governor signs law reallocating money from death penalty appeals to local public defenders

Amid high-profile problems with its indigent defense funding, the state of Louisiana is revamping how its existing funds are allocated. According to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Governor John Bel Edwards signed a law on Monday that changes how Louisiana’s Public Defender Board allocates its funds. The law guarantees that at…

Jun 23, 2016 4:25 PM CDT

Louisiana mom is arrested for whipping kids after they burglarized neighbor’s home

A mother from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was arrested on Tuesday for whipping her three children as punishment for burglarizing a neighbor’s home. The mother, 30-year-old Schaquana Evita Spears, was charged with two counts of cruelty to juveniles and released on bail Tuesday evening, report the Baton Rouge Advocate and WBRZ-TV.…

Jun 22, 2016 9:42 AM CDT

Questions about chat with co-defendants keep murder case alive for lawyers after client is acquitted

One man has been acquitted in a Louisiana murder case and prosecutors in Orleans Parish have dropped charges against four co-defendants. However, the case continues to reverberate among lawyers for both sides, as they argue about whether legal ethics rules were violated, reports the New Orleans Times-Picayune. At issue is…

Jun 10, 2016 4:00 PM CDT

Judge’s ‘bizarre and disturbing behavior’ entitles med-mal plaintiffs to new trial, La. justice says

The Louisiana Supreme Court has ruled two medical malpractice plaintiffs are entitled to a new trial because the trial judge’s behavior created a miscarriage of justice. The court’s per curiam opinion didn’t elaborate on the trial judge’s alleged behavior, but a concurrence by Chief Justice Bernette Johnson had details, the…

May 31, 2016 8:07 AM CDT

Murder trial takes detour after defense lawyers meet at jail with witnesses against their client

A Louisiana murder trial took an unexpected detour on Thursday when a prosecutor accused three defense attorneys of improperly meeting the previous day with two co-defendants who are witnesses against their client, Donovan Carter, and are represented by other lawyers. In addition to presenting an ethical issue, the unauthorized meeting—which…

May 13, 2016 11:45 AM CDT

Technology? ‘It’s here, it’s good—do it,’ Ernie Svenson urges (podcast)

Ernie Svenson--aka well-known blogger Ernie the Attorney--was an early evangelist for what he calls The Paperless Chase. The basic premise: "Anything you can do with paper, you can do more with PDF. Way more."

May 4, 2016 8:00 AM CDT

Judge says she didn’t know Muslim woman’s scarf was a religious statement, not a fashion statement

A unidentified Muslim woman said she was humiliated by being told to wait outside a Louisiana courtroom to pay a ticket at a traffic hearing this week because she refused to remove her headscarf. However, Judge Raylyn Beevers, who confirmed the Tuesday incident at Jefferson Parish Traffic Court, said it…

Apr 28, 2016 5:05 PM CDT

Real-estate heir Robert Durst takes 7-year plea deal in gun case, but unrelated murder case ongoing

The son of a New York real estate mogul has taken a plea in a Louisiana firearm case that involves a prison term of a little more than seven years. However, that won’t be the end of a complex criminal-case saga for Robert Durst, now 72, who will also be…

Apr 27, 2016 3:26 PM CDT

5 ex-police officers admit guilt, get greatly reduced sentences in Katrina bridge-slayings plea deal

At their first sentencing, four New Orleans police officers involved in shooting a group of unarmed civilians on Danziger Bridge in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina got prison terms of between 38 and 65 years. A fifth officer who reportedly played a key role in a cover-up of their crimes…

Apr 25, 2016 12:50 PM CDT

Ex-DA is labeled a ‘sexual predator’ at news conference; defense lawyer complains of ‘smear tactic’

The defense lawyer for a former district attorney in south Louisiana is crying foul after authorities called his client a “sexual predator” at a press conference and said he had preyed on more than 20 women seeking his help over a 20-year period. The former St. Charles Parish DA, Harry…

Apr 21, 2016 8:57 AM CDT

Lawyer who spoke out after fellow lawyer shot himself during trial gets suspension overturned

A Louisiana lawyer who criticized the prosecution of another lawyer who shot himself during trial should not have been suspended from federal court practice for speaking out, a federal appeals court has ruled. The New Orleans-based 5th U.S. Circuit ruled (PDF) in a First Amendment challenge on Monday that a…

Apr 20, 2016 9:07 AM CDT

Longtime former DA faces federal corruption trial, accused of misusing campaign money

A jury was selected and opening statements were made Monday in the federal corruption trial of a longtime former Louisiana district attorney on charges that he misused campaign money. In office for 30 years before he opted not to seek reelection in 2014, as a federal investigation was looming, Walter…

Apr 19, 2016 11:00 AM CDT

Due to lack of counsel, New Orleans judge freezes cases against 7 inmates and orders their release

In the latest development in an ongoing Louisiana public defender funding crisis, a New Orleans judge on Friday froze the cases of seven inmates charged with serious felonies— including rape and second-degree murder—because they have been held for months without access to counsel. “The defendants’ constitutional rights are not contingent…

Apr 8, 2016 4:00 PM CDT

Federal judge gives final OK to $20B settlement by BP in Gulf oil spill disaster

A federal judge in New Orleans on Monday gave the final OK to an estimated $20 billion settlement by BP concerning a massive Gulf of Mexico oil spill in 2010. The ruling by U.S District Judge Carl Barbier followed his earlier finding that the company had been grossly negligent in…

Apr 6, 2016 12:00 PM CDT