LOUISIANA PUBLIC DEFENDERS' ASSOCIATION
LOUISIANA PUBLIC DEFENDERS' ASSOCIATION
"TRUSTEES OF FREEDOM"1
"Dedicated to the Right to Counsel" Louisiana Public Defenders Association is dedicated to improving the services provided for Indigents in Criminal Courts in Louisiana. On a Parish (County) by Parish basis, our members provide counsel to those who cannot afford to retain their own, through the system of Court Appointed Lawyers known as "Public Defenders". For more information in general on these lawyers, the how and why, see WHAT PUBLIC DEFENDERS DO
"CONE OF UNCERTAINTY" SHRINKING WITH LOUISIANA AT THE CENTER - Happy Labor Day? Its looking more and more like the North Gulf Coast, between Mobile and Houston for landfall Tuesday. Gus celebrates anniversary of Katrina by heading toward Louisiana. Jeff Masters has a great blog discussing scenarios from computer models, including landfall between Mobile and Houston, Monday or Tuesday of next week. 8/ 28/08
PRESS PANS "SMILING" MAN AS DEATH SENTENCE ANNOUNCED: VIDEO MURDER - U.S. District Court, Idaho. Imagine a brutal child abuse murder, then add your client's video tape of the crime - the Federal Jury gave Edward Duncan a death sentence in an exceptionally horrific case. As often happens, the press focused on "reaction" of Duncan: but did he smile as we do, or was it the face of madness? 8/ 28/ 08
LOUISIANA MANDATES MONEY BAIL - PROHIBITS RECOGNIZANCE ON SOME ARRESTS - "We don't want to lock up people without trial" - but the new bail law does just that, AND its a coup for bonding companies who now practically have a compulsory insurance law in Louisiana. No more personal sureties or O.R. for a list of "crimes" - forgetting that its really "arrests"! 8/27/08
REFORM BLOG New OPD Interim named as Board will be choosing a permanent Chief, with a retired Criminal Court Judge among the candidates. New 307 Board Members. Trial Performance Standards. 8/20/2008 COMING SOON, DO WE HAVE ENOUGH YAMATO?
CONCORDIA PAPER HAS JUDGE THREATENING LIBEL/SLANDER SUIT - Electioneering, some kind of Post Conviction Hearing, and Judge Johnson vs ADA Johnson in a spat over an amended sentence. 8/21/2008
COP FACES MANSLAUGHTER CHARGE AFTER 9 TAZES AT 50,000 VOLTS EACH OF RUNNING MAN - The State says the 450,000 volts amounts to Manslaughter in the death of a 21 year old mill worker who was running from an attempted arrest for cocaine possession. (A Plea of Not Guilty has been entered) 8/21/08
MORE PREDATORS - Death of Deputy leads to complaints that "arrests" did not lead to lock up, presumably for life, and that a convenience store "predator" (robber) who ran over a deputy did so because of failures of the Criminal Justice System. 8/22/08 (hard to read, but that's what they're saying! apparently this is the latest term of art in our fair state, along with "monsters")
UPTON NAMED TO FED DEFENDER BATON ROUGE - Federal Public Defender Rebecca Hudsmith named Baton Rouge Criminal Defense Lawyer Mark Upton to handle the Middle District Office vacated by Jean Faria, who took on the job of Chief State Public Defender for Louisiana. 8/ 18 /08
VICTIM TAKING THE THRILL OUT OF TEXAS EXECUTION BY EMBRACING HIS OWN DEATH - One of seven men who escaped from a Texas Prison and participated in a crime spree that included the death of a Police Officer, says death its what he deserves. In a way, this takes the wind out of the sails of the vengeance crowd, leaving them essentially speechless. 8/13/ 08
LOUISIANA GOVERNOR RIDING "DEATH" HORSE HARD - Governor Jindal wants Death for Child Rapists, and, basking in the light of FOX NEWS after a praise-filled appearance on Bill O'Reilly, and speculation about his Vice Presidential Candidacy for the GOP, he is making it a cornerstone of his administration. He is out to kill the "monsters": it must make such an intelligent man sick to have to pander this way. Not sufficient, apparently, is the new law approving chemical castration, which the governor has signed. Is this a good shtick for attracting business? We probably could do better on the enforcement end instead of the punishment end! 8-13-08
BUSH LOSES HIS ONLY DEATH PENALTY DEFENSE AS TEXAS EXECUTES MEXICAN CITIZEN - W's work against the Death Penalty, one whole case, has ended with the execution of the accused in Texas. 8/7/08
LSU ECON PROFESSOR PUBLISHES VENGEANCE STUDY - Professor Nai Mocan of LSU reviewed punishment modalities to come up with who wants revenge, and why. Interesting read for Criminal Justice Bar. 8/5/08
RACIAL PROFILING ALLEGED IN LOUISIANA ARRESTS - ACLU calls for toughening the La R S on profile of arrestees. 8 6 08
NO MOTIONS, NO DISCOVERY ENFORCEMENT - SCOLA says no complaint lies in "open file" because there was no request under the Code for Discovery. 7/ 26/ 08 FOLKS NOT FILING MOTIONS BE WARNED!
AMICUS IN CERT APP PROVIDES EXCELLENT HISTORY OF RACISM IN LOUISIANA - Quoting the 1898 Constitutional Convention's mandate to limit voting and jury duty to "white males only", LACDL files Amicus in the US Supreme Court for Derrick Todd Lee. The issue is less than unanimous verdicts. The Brief is a historic treasure trove of the foundation of Criminal Justice in LUZIANNA! Whatever the outcome, this is some compelling, if not chilling public record that sheds some light on our current problems. Posted at LACDL Web. 7 / 9/ 08
A PUBLIC DEFENDER I MET BUT NEVER KNEW - One of the first Champions of Criminal Justice was past his prime when we worked in Lafayette, but he had been a true hero. Gilbert King has put the case in print. 6/ 30 /08
SEARCH BEGINS FOR TATE AWARD NOMINEES - LaPDA is looking for deserving Criminal Justice Professionals to receive recognition as Trustees of Freedom at the LACDL/ LaPDA Tate Awards Dinner this fall. 7/7/08
19th Annual Crim Litigation
Seminar November 14 & 15, 2008 Study Law or Nick Saban?
November
14 & 15 is the weekend Alabama comes to Tiger Stadium. Will Nick tempt
you to miss your CLE? Its hard to get a Hotel Venue in the fall, and we
tried, but now its up to you, Mr. Criminal Defender: SABAN or STUDY?
ABOUT 200 ATTEND TATE DINNER NOV 30, 2008 - Sam Dalton, Chief Justice join a united Criminal Defense Bar in praise of the Right to Counsel and those who nobly serve it. 12/ 3 /07
La. Public Defender Act of 2007 - Act 307 HISTORY OF REFORM ARCHIVE
Death Penalty Defenders Lethal Injection in Louisiana is still
Unconstitutional
PAST PAGE ONE LINKS ARCHIVE links and stories that ran earlier (LIVE LINKS NOT GUARANTEED) OLD COVERS: April Fools 2008 4th July 2007
DR McPHONEY? - THE McCormick FILES LIDAB EXPERT FUND OPEN
HOT LINKS - other Criminal Law sites on the WEB
Contact us, LAPDA, P.O. Box 82389, Lafayette, La. 70598-2389 CEO @ LAPDA org
DAUBERT CLARENCE EARL GIDEON Booker v US