Louisiana legislators grill New Orleans DA for releasing people convicted of violent crimes

Associated Press/Report for America

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana legislators interrogated New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams about his office’s use of post-conviction relief to reduce or void criminal sentences at a Senate hearing Thursday in the capitol. Conservative lawmakers, Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill and former prosecutors raised questions about cases where people convicted of violent crimes were released. Since Williams took office in 2021, there have been more than 300 cases of post-conviction relief, a policy employed sparingly elsewhere in the state. Williams defended his record and said his office was seeking to improve public safety by restoring trust in the judicial system.