Williams, Duplessis defending Orleans DA's office in senate hearing

Right now, Louisiana State Senators are hearing testimony from critics of New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams about his use of post-conviction relief to release some convicts.

Opponents of Williams, including former Orleans Parish prosecutor Laura Cannizaro Rodrigue, testified in that hearing this morning, saying that Williams's use of post-conviction relief may have been improper. However, a New Orleans state senator questions why the motives of those who wanted to hold today's hearing.

"It's like we're trying to be selective about where we want to highlight differences," Sen. Royce Duplessis (D-New Orleans) said.

Duplessis argued that the state constitution and the code of criminal procedure gives District Attorney Jason Williams the "absolute discretion" to seek post-conviction relief for criminals.

"The broad authority is necessary because a prosecutor's responsibility is as a minister of justice, not simply that of an advocate," Duplessis said.

Duplessis questioned why senators didn't hold hearings when former District Attorney Leon Cannizaro regularly sought habitual offender sentences while other district attorneys sparingly used that discretion.

"Over a stretch of seven years, there were 2,700 uses of the multiple bill--the habitual offender law--in Orleans Parish, but in East Baton Rouge Parish over that same number of years, it was used only 60 times. Why was it not used in that instance?" Duplessis asked. "There was a difference in certain policy decisions that were being exercised by a previous administration that didn't seem to warrant a Senate hearing."