the Newsroom.
a curated selection of recent events and other news pieces happening both locally and across our global movement for transformational change in our systems of justice and governance.
Last Updated: 08-25-2021
New Orleans City Council puts library, housing taxes on November ballot
Policy aimed at blocking any New Orleans City Hall relocation gets council approval
New Orleans City Council District E Candidates address hot button issues
Clancy DuBos: New Orleans City Council races will be the ones to watch this fall
These 3 New Orleans parks will soon have new names; plus, a street name will honor Fats Domino
New Orleans City Council takes first step in decriminalizing marijuana
New Orleans City Council members vow to turn down Entergy campaign donations
New Orleans City Council would have final say over City Hall move under new proposal
A year after scandal, Jared Brossett's entry into at-large City Council race reshuffles field
‘Life Without Parole Isn’t Making Us Any Safer’
Robert Richardson robbed a bank of about $5,000 in 1997 and was sentenced to 60 years in prison without the possibility of probation or parole. He was 30 years old when he was locked away in the Louisiana State Penitentiary, making his penalty a virtual life sentence.
Louisiana bill decriminalizing marijuana signed into law Tuesday
A bill to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana for personal use in Louisiana will become law after Gov. John Bel Edwards signed the legislation from Democratic Rep. Cedric Glover Tuesday.
Pastor convicted of killing as a teen gets chance at parole, in legal victory for Jason Williams
After his conviction for slashing a housekeeper to death at age 15, Scott Lingle was never supposed to leave prison.
But the Louisiana 4th Circuit Court of Appeal voted 2-1 last week to hand a chance at freedom to the teenage killer turned prison pastor, and a legal victory to Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams.
At least two candidates are vying for Orleans Parish Sheriff seat
A longtime elected official will face a political newcomer this fall.
Incumbent Marlon Gusman and Susan Hutson are vying for the Orleans Parish Sheriff seat.
Hutson announced her candidacy Monday afternoon.
Next big issue for Legislature is redistricting Louisiana. Meet the state rep at the center of it.
Bare-knuckled fights over taxes, gambling and what schools should teach have ended with the conclusion of the 80-day legislative session. The circus has left Baton Rouge.
But another one is on its way. When lawmakers return down the road, they will have a single focus — to redraw boundaries for the state House, the state Senate, the U.S. House of Representatives, the Louisiana Supreme Court, the Public Service Commission, the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education and state appeals courts.
Will Sutton: Black faces everywhere behind bars, but not in offices running Louisiana prisons
When it comes to incarcerated people, Oklahoma, Mississippi and Louisiana compete to lead the nation. Louisiana continues to incarcerate more people per capita than any other state.
New Orleans City Council plans living wage ordinance for city contractors, some city employees
Here's what passed – and what didn't – at the Louisiana legislature's spring session
As Louisiana's first legislative session of 2021 comes to a close, here are a few of the biggest bills that did and did not pass through the house and senate.
Bills prohibiting natural hair discrimination fail to make it through Louisiana Legislature
All the bills that would have prohibited race-based discrimination of natural hairstyles died in the Louisiana Legislature this session. House Bill 382, authored by Rep. Candace Newell (D-New Orleans), failed to pass in the Louisiana House last month on a 46-48 vote. House Bill 189, authored by Rep. Tammy Phelps (D-Shreveport), died in committee in April, and Senate Bill 61, sponsored by then-state Sen. Troy Carter (D-New Orleans), which passed unanimously in the Louisiana Senate, went nowhere after Carter left for Congress.
Oliver Thomas, former New Orleans Councilman felled by bribery scandal, eyes District E seat
Mark Ballard: How the Louisiana Legislature is slowly changing on criminal justice issues
Will Harrell, a criminal justice warrior at the State Capitol, scolded himself last week for thinking he saw a sea change in the traditional tough-on-crime stance that has made Louisiana a world leader for incarcerating its population. What he really had seen was a brief calm in the eye of the storm.