News & Commentary

Last week Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro told WWL-TV that he feels victims of violent crimes, including domestic abuse and sexual assault, are “wrong” for refusing to testify in their cases. In making his case for the use of a material witness warrant to compel a rape victim to testify against their attacker, Cannizzaro said, "Is it more important for this witness to be inconvenienced for a very short period of time or is it better for the community to get the violent offender off the streets and keep him off the streets?"

In a 5-3 decision handed down this morning, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down two Texas abortion restrictions that formed the basis for similar restrictions in Louisiana: the mandate that abortion providers have admitting privileges at local hospitals and the requirement that abortion clinics have facilities comparable to outpatient surgical centers. The ruling makes it clear that the restrictions, which also have affected women in Louisiana, place an undue burden on abortion access, and thus violated the Constitution.