Blog
2023 Amendments to Federal Sentencing Guidelines
By Stephen J. Haedicke | September 4, 2023
For the first time in several years, the U.S. Sentencing Commission has a quorum of Commissioners such that the Commission was able to issue amendments to the federal Sentencing Guidelines. A useful summary of the upcoming amendments, which go into effect November 1, 2023, can be found at the following site: https://www.ussc.gov/guidelines/amendments/adopted-amendments-effective-november-1-2023
New Laws in Louisiana- 2023
By Stephen J. Haedicke | August 23, 2023
A number of new laws went into effect on August 1, 2023. The helpful AP News article linked below rounds up some of the more consequential and controversial. https://apnews.com/article/louisiana-laws-new-2023-07531f610ccb3b89501ab13ce1cfd661
DOJ Civil Rights Division Moves to Intervene in Support of Plaintiffs Fighting Radical Overhaul of Jackson, MS Criminal Justice System
By Stephen J. Haedicke | July 17, 2023
In a powerful show of support, the Department of Justice’s Civil Rights Division filed a motion to intervene to support Plaintiffs challenging a recent state take-over of the criminal justice system in Jackson, MS (Hinds County). Labeling the take over racially discriminatory, the DOJ alleges that the new laws, which create a special district in […]
NPR Reports on Unexpected Consequences of Drug Busts: More Overdose Deaths
By Stephen J. Haedicke | July 7, 2023
This past week, NPR reported on the surprising results of a rigorous new study that concluded that large drug busts actually result in more overdose deaths. The study found that the busts destabilized illegal markets, which in turn led to people taking sometimes deadly risks in acquiring and using illegal drugs. The findings have important […]
Mississippi Capitol Police Changes Rules on Use of Force After String of Shootings
By Stephen J. Haedicke | June 30, 2023
After 17 years, use-of-force policies have been updated after four people were shot by the Mississippi Capitol Police in the first few months of an expanded crime-suppression mission in the city of Jackson. Although a significant improvement over the prior, outdated policies, the new policies do not contain de-escalation techniques or a ban on chokeholds. […]
Law Office Files Suit on Behalf of Criminal District Court Employees
By Stephen J. Haedicke | January 30, 2023
Stephen Haedicke is representing six employees of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court who have filed suit over the Court’s failure to enroll them in the proper retirement plan. The Court’s errors have cost the employees thousands of dollars in lost retirement benefits. Read about the case here: https://www.nola.com/news/courts/lawsuit-alleges-criminal-district-court-cost-staffers-thousands-in-retirement-savings/article_b53a5eaa-9e7e-11ed-a6e9-6fe0e3166ef4.html