A lack of criminal justice in Louisiana! 

By: Jim Brown

A good part of the nation was mesmerized recently over the six-week long Lindsey Clancy murder trial. You will recall that Clancy faced charges for the 2023 deaths of her three children. Her defense argued she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis. The prosecution argued she acted with criminal intent. 

The jury had reached an 11–1 consensus, but could not convince the holdout juror. Her defense attorneys and numerous supporters called for the holdout juror to be kicked off the jury. The judge, for good reasoning, refused, saying it would be judicially improper and even unconstitutional not to call for a 12-person jury to convict. That’s how the law is determined and enforced in states all over America. WELL, EXCEPT ONE! And I’m sure you can guess the one outlier state that often operates in the dark ages. That’s us folks, right here in Louisiana. 

One of the most outrageous examples of judicial misconduct here in the Bayou State took place in the casino trial of former Governor Edwin Edwards. The now notorious member of the Edwards jury, juror number 68, was removed for apparently, according to the Times Picayune, being particularly attentive throughout the trial and taking copious notes. From his questions, it seemed that juror 68 was leaning towards acquittal of the governor.