Defender

Lawsuit Targets Louisiana’s Public-Defense System

A class-action lawsuit filed against Louisiana’s public-defense department this week alleges officials continue to systematically deny indigent citizens proper access to public defenders, according to a news release. The state’s most at-risk communities are incapacitated in the criminal-justice system, civil-rights organizations allege, as officials fail to establish a practical …


Class-Action Suit Claims Louisiana Public Defender System Failing Indigent Defendants

A lawsuit filed Monday in Louisiana alleges the state is negligent in guaranteeing Constitutional rights of poor people by not properly funding or maintaining the public defender system. The Southern Poverty Law Center, the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and two other law firms filed a class action suit Monday in Baton Rouge against Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards …