The Louisiana Mayor’S Court

Download or read book The Louisiana Mayor’S Court written by Floyd A. Buras III and published by AuthorHouse. This book was released on 2016-01-23 with total page 69 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mayors Court is Louisianas most numerous type of court, with about 250 of these courts across the state, yet very little appears to be known about them. Out of the fifty states, only Louisiana and Ohio still use these courts. Under this system of informal tribunals, a town mayor essentially acts as prosecutor, judge, and jury to enforce municipal ordinances. There is no requirement that a mayor presiding over one of these courts should possess a law degree or have any legal training. Likewise, the inherent duty of mayors to raise revenue creates a potential bias that could cause mayors to convict defendants solely for financial gain. Although their existence is vested under the Louisiana Constitution, there is very limited statutory guidance or procedural safeguards to govern these courts. Many of the few attempts that have been made to interpret laws governing these courts have been misguided and have lead to incorrect court decisions. As a result, the possibility exists for defendants before these courts to be unfairly convicted. This book provides an overview of the mayors courts in Louisiana and examines a few due process concerns that arise from these courts existence.