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New state law seeks to fix New Orleans judges' decades-old conflict of interest on court fines, fees and bail

from The Lens NOLA

New state law seeks to fix New Orleans judges' decades-old conflict of interest on court fines, fees and bail The Lens NOLA Until recently, when judges set bail amounts in Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, the amount they set was directly tied to the amount of money they could potentially collect to fund court operations — things like paying their staff, purchasing supplies and travel expenses. The same was true of fines and fees they imposed after a defendant was convicted. A portion of both commercial bond fees and conviction fees were deposited into a Judicial Expense Fund, which the judges controlled. That was all dictated by state law. READ MORE

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