justice

A Louisiana law cedes much of the power of the parole board to an algorithm that bars thousands of prisoners from a shot at early release. Civil rights attorneys say it could disproportionately harm Black people — and may even be unconstitutional.

A New Orleans resident has filed a lawsuit against the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, alleging that a group of deputies “unnecessarily and unlawfully” approached, detained and beat him up outside of a gas station in Terrytown last year.

Since last week, Khalil — a Syrian-born Palestinian and permanent U.S. resident— has been locked up in the Central Louisiana ICE Processing Center, a privately-run immigration lockup with an average daily detainee population of nearly 1,200.

“Having a felony arrest or conviction on your record is like wearing a heavy yoke around your neck," said Aaron Clark-Rizzio, the legal director for the Louisiana Center for Children’s Rights.

The federal prosecutor who posted anonymous online comments about cases he was handling is no longer with the U.S. Attorney’s office. Sal Perricone has…