Lawsuit Against New Orleans Government

Some of New Orleans’ poorest residents are now working with lawyers in a class-action lawsuit against the local criminal district court. They are accusing judges and court officials of ripping them out of their money and unlawfully keeping them in jail for falling behind on exorbitant court fines.

The plaintiffs in the case are highlighting the courts’ failure to assess people’s ability to pay in assigned court fees. They are also pointing out that officials such as judges, prosecutors and public defenders unfairly benefit from the costs that are placed upon the city’s residents.

Experts explain that the exorbitant costs that New Orleanians are burdened with are used to fund the local criminal justice system, making up costs that aren’t covered in taxes. They go on to explain that such large charges towards New Orleanians brought to court for petty crimes like traffic violations and theft is unconstitutional, as these fees are often bigger than the actual criminal fine. Read more at the New York Times. 

UP NEXT: Dylann Roof’s Friend Joseph Meeks Gets Arrested By FBI

FBI Arrests Joseph Meeks, Friend of Emanuel AME Shooter Dylann Roof

Joseph “Joey” Meeks, pictured above playing video games with his brother, Jacob Meeks, is now in custody with the FBI after allegedly lying about his knowledge on Dylann Roof’s plans of shooting members at Charleston’s Emanuel AME Church.

Meeks is also charged with concealing information about the crime. Meeks was notified that he was possibly a suspect in the tragic shootings back on Aug. 6. If convicted of the felonies that he has been charged with, Meeks could serve three years in prison.

Roof had been staying at Meeks’ home in the weeks leading up to the shooting. Meeks had at one point confiscated Roof’s semi-automatic handgun out of fear that he would act on some of Roof’s racist comments by attacking Black people in their neighborhood. Read more at Huffington Post.

UP NEXT: Republicans Pressure John Boehner To Defund Planned Parenthood

John Boehner Cowers Under Pressure As Republicans Push Harder To Defund Planned Parenthood

Republicans in the House are becoming more aggressive than ever in pushing Speaker John Boehner to confront President Barack Obama over taking away government funding from Planned Parenthood. Boehner has long been a vocal advocate for the pro-life movement, but the immense pressure he’s receiving from his fellow conservatives could topple his authority in Congress.

What’s at stake is a short-term spending bill that’s headed towards the Senate. Republicans are demanding that the notes in the bill designating money for Planned Parenthood be taken out, a move that would undoubtedly never pass in the Senate. If the two political parties don’t come to an agreement on what should be included in the bill, America could be looking at yet another government shut down.

Now, Boehner is posed with the dilemma of delaying the Planned Parenthood fight to keep the government functioning—a move that could lose him some serious street cred with his fellow Republicans. Or he could join the Republicans in their stubborn demands in modifying the country’s spending to align with their pro-life beliefs—a fight that he and his party will most likely lose. Read more on the issue at the New York Times.

UP NEXT: Air Force Pilots Under Investigation For Drug Dealing For Quoting Miley Cyrus 

Humorous Texts Quoting Miley Cyrus Land Air Force Pilots Into A Drug Investigation

A handful of Air Force Pilots were exchanging what they thought were harmless, private text messages filled with inside jokes about some of their wild days partying in Las Vegas. But correspondence filled with silly references to lyrics from popular rap songs and pop artists like T.I. and Miley Cyrus has brought some of the nation’s most respected servicemen under scrutiny in Capitol Hill over possibly selling Molly and marijuana.

The pilots in question have been vehemently denying any criminal activity, pointing out that their text messages were just a series of private, ironic jokes exaggerating their activities off base. Still, commanding officers leading the investigation have already stripped three pilots of their wings, a move that could end their time in the Air Force and ruin their chances of working as commercial airline pilots. Read more at The Daily Beast.

RELATED LINKS:

New Orleans 10 Years Later: An Infographic Of Hurricane Katrina By The Numbers

President Obama To Speak On New Orleans’ Progress After Hurricane Katrina

New Orleans Cops Under Investigation For Ignoring Sex Crime & Child Abuse Cases