Mayor of town that collected $1 million through court vacates the bench; others follow
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 30 ก.ย. 2024
- We found more than a dozen places in Louisiana where the mayor sat on the bench of a court that pulled in a sizable share of the town’s revenue. The state says this arrangement could be unfair to defendants.
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Journalism like this is a rare thing these days. Well done.
And yet there are examples just like this posted every day...
It’s actually done a lot we just have a political party that whines “fake news” about everything they disagree with.
@Look_What_You_Did Point a few out please.
@@KyleGreen-tq9idya stupid democrats
Evern more rare from a FOX affiliate.
They knew what they were doing was unconstitutional and wrong, but they continued stealing money from the taxpayers as long as they could. Disgusting.
It won't stop with this move. She's just as corrupt
Just watch.
She'll start taking part of the cut now just like the city girl mayor
Welcome to America.
Enjoy your sentence, I mean stay.
Oh my. @@99sentcoins
Class action lawsuit. Bankrupt the city.
Please keep
Exposing the corruption here in Louisiana
Everywhere!!!
Let's keep VOTING for the gangsters to be your masters then HOPE for CHANGE.. 😂😂
Louisiana isnt the only state
It's nationwide, not just in Louisiana, but in fact. The police department was formed in the South during slavery days to bring back free slaves from the North to the South back to their owners. That's where cops and the police department was formed. And as long as they still hold true to that ignorance, they will always be corrupt.
@@JP-gi7dwyou think they allow someone who isn’t in cahoots on the ballot?
Just cause they step down doesn't mean the violations and corruption stop. They just put someone in charge as a front man... if they made that much money, the prosecutor should be looked at as the ring leader for a criminal corporation.
Do you mean “ because “?
Legalized robbery is still robbery!
Excellent investigative journalism. Well done!
Right... they finally followed up on what people have been reporting for how long? Top notch work..
This is just one reason why I avoided every small town when I traveled.
You don't leave your parents basement.
@@Look_What_You_DidDon't put your lifestyle on others
@@Look_What_You_Didbot comment 😂😂
Not a single response. Shocker.
Especially in Southern States!!!!
Imagine being so gifted you're a mayor and judge at the same time.
& weekends a cop then a lawyer.
And never even going to law school.
Doesn’t take much to say “ your fine is $$$ “.
Yup and they can pick the prosecutor and I'm sure they make sure that they have corrupted lawyers that they buddy with
In the land of the STUPID, the half STUPID man is king.. 😂😂
This is outright predatory.
If a town can't run itself without fleecing anybody and everybody that might drive through that town then it has no business being a town and it should be dissolved.
That is the state's fault, cities and villages should be adequately funded independent of the judiciary. Certainly a city should be funded to the point where the mayor doesn't have to pull double duty as the judge.
Now everyone needs to sue those obviously crooked bastards.
It's not just happening in Louisiana. We had the Village of Arlington Heights (north of Cincinnati, OH) about 0.26 SQ. miles in size. Population of under 900. Less than mile of I-75 ran though it. It was a speed trap and everyone knew it. It has/had a Mayor's court.
"In 2011, Arlington Heights issued 4,037 traffic tickets. Arlington Heights uses a Mayor's Court, whereby the mayor or his designate presides over traffic ticket cases. Arlington Heights' mayor's court had 5.91 cases per capita, (third highest in Ohio) compared to the state average of 0.2."
State got involved when I think a new employee came on board, around 2010. Apparently, the village was supposed to send a portion of the ticket's money to the state. The new employee did this. State was surprise by this sudden influx of money. The previous employee wasn't sending the money to the state as required by law. Some people got arrested for stealing funds. Their own police department tried to get the State to investigate years earlier. but the state need the mayor's or treasure approval.
I don't give the police to much credit since they still issued the tickets. The PD was disbanded in 2016. The County prosecutor called for the village to be disbanded since to him it was nothing but a speed trap.
FYI, when this story broke their police suddenly stopped sitting on the side of the highway.
This is pretty disgusting
This is another great example of how backwards Louisiana IS!!!
What does a town of 250 odd people do with $1.3 MILLION a year??!!
Betting it's not paying 5k to each and every resident!
Lots of cop cars and cops. I lived in a town of 350 and they had like 8 cop cars that drove around 24/7. Big speed trap city. And they'd drive around after dark with spot lights on shining in everyone's yards and windows all night up and down every road. It's like the city was living in a concentration camp. The police state in small towns is crazy
More police!!!
Until enough voters complain to their various Legislators things won't fully change.
Yeah, like how this country was founded. By the subjects complaining to their rulers.
when you're the magistrate working for the good old boy who appointed you, just how independent are you - knowing he can also remove you if you don't keep his coffers full?
Good Old Boy ?
That would be a club of men that stick together to always run things in their favor (corrupt)!
We have them in Mississippi.
@vignetteorleans1631 yes. Good ol boy.
Good job guys! It is unbelievable that this is allowed anywhere in America. Gotta love social media.
I think the only other place that allows it is Ohio.
@@ik7578 Imagine someone without a legal degree sitting as a judge!
@@AliceR27 It boggles the mind.
@@ik7578yes they are the only two states where it is allowed
@@ik7578 How come I am not surprised? Michigan is the most backwater state in the Union and even we have eliminated Mayor's or City Courts. Ohio is pretty backwater as well.
A Mayor as a Judge flies in the face of separation of powers.
That big boy jumped out real quick before his large self got run over by the bus. DOJ probably look into this mess and most likely abuse. There may be some kick back of that million dollars and NOT for the good of the citizens.
lol all they did was switch out the bad actor, there is no way that town is going to just let that kinda money go away without a fight. The only difference now is they have a "qualified person" on the bench to take the money.
The look on that cops face holding the door open is priceless, its "They got this dirty bag grin".
This is happening in every small town in America, and yet we have the balls to judge other countries corruption.
Fantastic reporting WVUE, I am really hoping more journalists go back to this investigative journalism and not just ChatGPT headlines designed to split.
ProPublica has done so much good for Louisiana, especially for New Orleans, by exposing the corruption that has been the norm for much, much too long .
Tha Old saying is "Tha Sheriff runs tha town"
could be? it is a violation of the seperate branches.
it is called a "shakedown".
Isn't there a ton of movies where this is the situation we all see, where a driver driving through the city being excessively fined and being thrown in jail with their vehicles and possessions being impounded and taken by the city.
Replacing one crooked non judge with just an other crook
It's so hard that only 48 of 50 states can get along without mayor's conflict of interest courts. Won't someone think of the small town good ol boys corruption!?
If they can't afford to operate their little burgs without screwing people over they should have their charters revoked and allow county and state governments to take charge. That's not saying it will be any better, a while back I was bent over by the county sheriff in Talbotton, Ga. for more than double what the state allows for an expired driver's license. (10 days out of date - a simple oversight that I corrected in less than three minutes over my cell phone) He gave me the choice of driving over 500 miles, one way, to attend night court or pay the fine online.
Just have the state pass a law that anything over 10% of the city budget that comes from tickets, goes to the state.
The woman that "volunteered" did so very quickly.
I’d think that she is shady too.
@@sprice2719
I agree 100% shady as F…..
The notion that the same person can be both judge and prosecutor is a holdover from French legal practice. Louisiana was French and there are some differences built in that are different from British Common Law.
They don't pay property taxes?
impressive reporting.
7 Mile town just south of Camden Ohio has a Mayor’s court and they do a hefty business on Speeding tickets.
The state of La. Needs to end qualified immunity.
Abolishing qualified immunity needs to become a national trend
This is crazy. The judiciary having and executive position? This is why there's a separation of government powers
WE ALL 💕 LOVE YOU LEE ZURICH. YOU STAND FOR TRUTH
I AM SO GLAD YOU ARE DIGGING FOR THESE CORRUPTED PEOPLE. THEY THINK THE LAW DON'T APPLY TO THEM. I AGREE WITH MR JORDAN. THEY NEED TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE WHEN
THERE'S WRONG DOING
A thief WILL ALWAYS BE A THIEF YOU LIE YOU STEAL 😂😂😂
That's the biggest lie you ever told. All lies do not come from thieves.
@@geemcgraff8281 KISS MY YOU KNOW WHAT 🍆
LOOKING LIKE A MAN 😂
Happens all across America. Court houses are always full for a reason.
Its called "Plausible Deniability", the Mayor is still going to control the process, and get his cut, but now he has a hand picked appointee to point to, when someone complains.
No one should pay a dime!
1.3 million dollars in traffic tickets. Where the mayor is judge and prosecutor and the mayor has no degree in law.
HE chose her? She may be honest, but a judge appointed by a questionable mayor is questionable.
One wealthy person driving through who decides to sue the town could drain their coffers by dragging out litigation over a couple of years.
About time. Now handle the lawsuit.
It seems this scenario is antithetical to the adage that the U.S. has the fairest judicial system in the world. How does an untrained, subsequently unqualified, and conflicted judge support a fair system?
you taking adages at face value is the key issue here
Good Ole looseanna 😂😂😂😂😂😂
In Ohio, we have a law that has municipalties dissolved (unincorporated) if the revenue from traffic fines exceeds a certain percentage. One village found out the hard way. Two others heeded the warning.
If we cant face our accuser we've lost our 6th amendment right. Lack of that knowledge as a judge is criminal
Unbelievable 🤦🤦
Time for clean sweep our COURT SYSTEM.
Follow the money EVERYWHERE
Any Judge who presides over any legal cases and renders or oversees the rendering of a verdict by a jury, that person should ALWAYS be a licensed lawyer. Otherwise any defendant could take them to court and get not only a verdict reversed but also seek damages. In the case of these small towns damages could easily bankrupt the town. BUT lets not forget this is Louisiana where French law is the basis for their legal system and the just do things "differently."
Wouldn’t that interfere with a persons constitutional right to a trial by jury?
They are mostly dealing with fines and civil infractions.
@@JohnnyAngel8still it's a contradiction
@@howlinwulf No, a person doesn't go to jail for forgetting to feed the meter, for example.
Since law enforcement is 'trained' to view the Constitution (Bill of Rights), as an impediment to them "doing their job", they consider it nothing more than a meaningless scrap of paper'.
@@cementer7665That's absurd.
All traffic fines and court fees should go to a crime victim's escrow account. Never to the local budget. It is an inherent conflict of interest.
Unique idea, I like it.
Who are the real criminals the world is watching to see if this criminal is ever held accountable i think the world knows the answer but we will be watching
Sounds like the state representative got a speeding ticket that he didn’t like. Now he wants to change how cities and towns fund themselves.
Well, don't trust your soul to no backwoods southern lawyer.
Cause the judge in the town's got bloodstains on his hands.
@AlwaysWankershim Google what I posted . . . . .
I’ve always wondered why Louisiana is allowed to be different from the rest of the country.
Why isn't he in a hospital by now? I would have thought he would have choked on his own sense of entitlement.
Wow. I didn't know courts like this existed with mayor as judge and jury. I find that to be so wrong.
What in the "Boss Hogg from Hazzard County" is this?!
An entire town that funds itself from traffic tickets, nothing wrong there?
These mayors like….”dag, the jig is up!!!”
OOOOOH Satrica be buyin her wigs at Walmart!
Its like that movie Nothing but Trouble
Here in PA, we don’t have municipal courts. Every county has a certain number of judicial districts with elected magistrates to handle everything from civil cases up to arraignments and preliminary hearings. Of course, we also have elected county judges.
In Michigan we eliminated our last mayor's or municipal court in the early 2010's when Detroit went bankrupt. District or Circuit courts now deal with these matters and we fund our cities and villages outside of the judiciary.
Gumbo Law! This is abuse of power.
Prime example of a kangaroo court
Having a highway run thru isn't supposed to fund the town's operations and the possibilities of abuse are built in. I have seen what "railroaded" looks like and am glad I could pay my way out. Better check the books, also.
All the people fined should get a refund
CANTRELL THE MAYOR FROM HE'LL TO GHETTO FOR ME
This is just another reason I DO NOT go to or thru Louisiana. Ok
In sane corrupt legal system.
Please stay away, we know all the money in your pocket is clean
Now hes off the bench, hes free meat.
You think?
Damn, is the judge related to TD Jakes?
Louisiana does not collect taxes from corporations in the State!!!
Are the Mayors/Judges required to have a high school diploma?
Reminds me of the pilot for the old Andy Griffith show. Andy was Mayberry’s sheriff, justice of the peace, newspaper editor, and mayor. 😊
Sir Goodie Blow Lansky for Mayor ❤❤❤❤❤❤😂😂😂😂😂😂
If the mayor is both judge and jury, how is that “safe” for the public?
A mayor’s Court is not a friendly companion to the 14th Amendment.
6:13
There has long been rumors of traveling through LA can be a RISK. This type of thing having been done in the past reinforces the concern.
How convenient to combine the Executive Branch and Judicial Branch under one person. That gets rid of those pesky checks and balances that hinder otherwise awesome one sided legal issues. Kinda like Biden acting as the Supreme Court.
At this point in , show me a State or county within any jurisdiction that DOES NOT have some sort of illegal extortion operation going under the disguise of a judicial order. No one is above the law?
Greed will find you out. As Paul tells us, For the love of money is the root of all evil. Will retire in disgrace. Perhaps rich, but in disgrace.
Damn police sit in the same spot 24 hours a day to give tickets. Its a speedtrap. You actually get nervous just driving through there.
Finally, some real journalism . Good story.
People with no law background judging others with the power of the law?
ANOTHER THIEF
The new Republican legislatures aren't going to change it either. There needs to be reform because most of these people being hit with traffic citations are working jobs with minimum wages.
thank you for including closed captioning. it allows people with hearing problems to still understand information presented. the ability to read what is being said is the purpose of cc. cc must be readable or it serves no purpose. this isnt readable.
Seems by bringing this situation to light made the judge uncomfortable
They probably used that money to buy more cop cars & hire more cops to write more tickets & increase their revenue.
The new judge will do exactly like the mayor. No improvement
So they appoint an affirmative action judge that will cooperate.
The city’s people are dumb for revoting for him
It's 2023 and the good old-boys systems are still running things.
New Judge is probably going to get a commision on fines collected.
Nothing like vacating the bench they had no business occupying
A money-generating spider taking advantage of strangers that drove into their web.
Put all in jail. If you break the law you should serve time.
Looks a full investigation is needed with jail time if money was taken!!
Ha...It's the South..Good luck
We no longer have municipal courts but if you really want to see how hicks run a state come to Michigan. Louisiana is quite normal compared to what we have here in Michigan.
Mayor Proxity
Conflict of interest
Good point
4:11