{"id":634,"date":"2016-12-28T09:13:01","date_gmt":"2016-12-28T09:13:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/haroldweiser.com\/\/?p=521"},"modified":"2025-12-28T12:18:52","modified_gmt":"2025-12-28T12:18:52","slug":"judge-derbigny-section-j-orleans-criminal-district-court","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/judge-derbigny-section-j-orleans-criminal-district-court\/","title":{"rendered":"Judge Derbigny Section J Orleans Criminal District Court"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t<div data-elementor-type=\"wp-post\" data-elementor-id=\"634\" class=\"elementor elementor-634\" data-elementor-post-type=\"post\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-6d822205 e-flex e-con-boxed e-con e-parent\" data-id=\"6d822205\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"e-con-inner\">\n\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-7209083e e-con-full e-flex e-con e-child\" data-id=\"7209083e\" data-element_type=\"container\" data-settings=\"{&quot;background_background&quot;:&quot;classic&quot;}\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-2f67655a elementor-widget elementor-widget-theme-post-title elementor-page-title elementor-widget-heading\" data-id=\"2f67655a\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"theme-post-title.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<h1 class=\"elementor-heading-title elementor-size-default\">Judge Derbigny Section J Orleans Criminal District Court<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-43e08a6c elementor-widget elementor-widget-hfe-breadcrumbs-widget\" data-id=\"43e08a6c\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"hfe-breadcrumbs-widget.default\">\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-widget-container\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<nav aria-label=\"Breadcrumb\"><ul class=\"hfe-breadcrumbs hfe-breadcrumbs-show-home\"><li class=\"hfe-breadcrumbs-item 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0l204.118-204.118c18.745-18.745 18.745-49.137 0-67.882zM112 160c-26.51 0-48-21.49-48-48s21.49-48 48-48 48 21.49 48 48-21.49 48-48 48zm513.941 133.823L421.823 497.941c-18.745 18.745-49.137 18.745-67.882 0l-.36-.36L527.64 323.522c16.999-16.999 26.36-39.6 26.36-63.64s-9.362-46.641-26.36-63.64L331.397 0h48.721a48 48 0 0 1 33.941 14.059l211.882 211.882c18.745 18.745 18.745 49.137 0 67.882z\"><\/path><\/svg>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hfe-post-info-text hfe-post-info__item hfe-post-info__item--type-terms\">\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"hfe-post-info__terms-list\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/category\/criminal-defense\/\" class=\"hfe-post-info__terms-list-item\">Criminal Defense<\/a>\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/li>\n\t\t\t\t<\/ul>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<div class=\"elementor-element elementor-element-45267850 elementor-widget__width-inherit elementor-widget elementor-widget-text-editor\" data-id=\"45267850\" data-element_type=\"widget\" data-widget_type=\"text-editor.default\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p>An Orleans Parish judge on Thursday ruled that the\u00a0state statute forbidding certain felons from possessing firearms is unconstitutional,\u00a0in the wake of a constitutional amendment passed last year that made the right to bear arms a fundamental one in Louisiana. The issue will now go straight to the state Supreme Court, which must decide whether the statute infringes on Louisiana citizens\u2019 now-enhanced right to gun possession.<\/p><p>Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Judge Darryl Derbigny on Thursday dismissed the charge against one felon, but took his decision a step further than another judge faced with a similar decision earlier this month.<\/p><p>Derbigny ruled that the entire statute \u2014 RS 14:95.1 \u2014 was unconstitutional after voters last year approved by a sweeping majority a constitutional amendment backed by the National Rifle Association. That bill made gun ownership a \u201cfundamental right,\u201d on the same level as freedom of speech or religion.<\/p><p>A court interpreting any law restricting a fundamental right \u2014 as gun ownership is now considered \u2014 must approach it with \u201cstrict scrutiny,\u201d the highest level of judicial scrutiny.<\/p><p>Before Jan. 1, questions of gun rights were considered with \u201crational scrutiny,\u201d which allowed regulations to \u201cprotect the public health, safety, morals or general welfare.\u201d But strict scrutiny requires that the law is, first, necessary for a \u201ccompelling government interest.\u201d Then, it must be so narrowly defined as to serve only that interest and, third, be the least restrictive way of doing so.<\/p><p>The Orleans Parish public defenders office challenged the constitutionality of the statute on behalf of a half-dozen clients, all charged with being a felon in possession of a firearm. The attorneys concede that public safety is a compelling interest to bar violent offenders, like murderers or armed robbers, from possessing weapons. But the law also bars people convicted of a number of less obviously violent felonies from possessing guns.<\/p><p>It reads: \u201cIt is unlawful for any person who has been convicted of a crime of violence \u2026 which is a felony or simple burglary, burglary of a pharmacy, burglary of an inhabited dwelling, unauthorized entry of an inhabited dwelling, felony illegal use of weapons or dangerous instrumentalities, manufacture or possession of a delayed action incendiary device, manufacture or possession of a bomb, or possession of a firearm while in the possession of or during the sale or distribution of a controlled dangerous substance, or any violation of the Uniform Controlled Dangerous Substances Law which is a felony, or any crime which is defined as a sex offense \u2026, or any crime defined as an attempt to commit one of the above-enumerated offenses under the laws of this state\u2026\u201d<\/p><p>The case before Derbigny involved a 20-year-old man named Glen Draughter who had previously pleaded guilty to attempted simple burglary. Draughter was later caught riding in a car with two other people; a .40-caliber Smith &amp; Wesson was in the backseat and an AK-47 with a 30-round magazine was in the trunk.<\/p><p>Public defenders Jill Pasquarella and Colin Reingold argued that under a strict-scrutiny test, the government must be able to provide compelling data showing that those convicted of crimes like simple burglary prove a heightened threat to society when armed.<\/p><p>\u201cThere is, simply, no rational basis for stripping Louisianans of their rights \u2026 where they have been convicted of crimes that are wholly unrelated to firearm possession or use,\u201d Pasquarella wrote to judges in this and several other cases.<\/p><p>Assistant District Attorney Matthew Payne submitted sociological studies suggesting a link between such offenses and a proclivity toward later violent crime.<\/p><p>But Derbigny on Thursday ruled that the statute infringed on constitutional protections when analyzed under a \u201cstrict scrutiny\u201d test required of laws restricting fundamental rights. He wrote that it \u201cis not narrowly tailored to achieve the government\u2019s interest.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cThe courts cannot question the wisdom of fundamental law and frustrate the will of the people; their function is to interpret and apply that law,\u201d he wrote. \u201cAfter reviewing the law and applying a strict scrutiny standard, the Court finds La R.S. 14:95.1 unconstitutional in its entirety.\u201d<\/p><p>He dismissed the charge against Draughter, but gave prosecutors until 5 p.m. Friday to seek new charges before ordering his release from jail.<\/p><p>Judge Frank Marullo had already ruled in favor of defendants in several similar cases. But he did not declare the statute unconstitutional, saying his rulings applied to specific defendants and the circumstances of their cases.<\/p><p>Judge Arthur Hunter is scheduled to hear a similar case later this month.<\/p><p>Payne on Thursday noted that he intends to appeal the decision.<\/p><p>When a statute is deemed unconstitutional in its entirety, the appeal skips mid-level appeals courts and is fast-tracked straight to the state Supreme Court for review.<\/p><p>If the Supreme Court sides with Derbigny, and rules that the statute violates the state constitution, the law will be scrapped and the Legislature forced to rewrite it.<\/p><p>If the court finds that the amendment makes the gun-possession law unconstitutional, it will also have to decide whether the unconstitutionality is retroactive \u2014 which could jeopardize convictions that occurred before the amendment went into effect.<\/p><p>State Sen. Neil Riser, a Republican from Caldwell Parish who sponsored the bill, and state Sen. A.G. Crowe, a Slidell Republican who co-sponsored it, did not reply to requests for comment on how broadly they meant for the bill to be interpreted.<\/p><p>The National Rifle Association also did not respond to inquiries about its position on felons\u2019 rights to own firearms.<\/p><p>In the meantime, prosecutions of felons in possession of a firearm will continue on, said Chris Bowman, spokesman for Orleans Parish District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro.<\/p><p>In the weeks leading up to the November election, with the gun rights amendment on the ballot, Cannizzaro warned of the possible fallout.<\/p><p>He wrote an op-ed column threatening that it would lead to a \u201cflurry of litigation in which criminal defendants will challenge the constitutionality of current criminal laws regulating gun possession.\u201d<\/p><p>The nonpartisan Bureau of Governmental Research also urged voters to defeat the constitutional amendment, saying it \u201cwould expose the public to unnecessary risks and hamper law enforcement efforts\u201d and adding: \u201cThere is no good reason to enter this uncharted territory.\u201d<\/p><p>Gov. Bobby Jindal wrote an op-ed too, but his exhorted voters to pass the amendment, which he described as \u201can ironclad guarantee of freedom here in Louisiana.\u201d<\/p><p>In a prepared statement Thursday, the Jindal administration said: \u201cWe disagree with the judge\u2019s ruling. The amendment passed last session is not in conflict with Louisiana or federal law barring felons from owning guns.\u201d<\/p><p>Cannizzaro\u2019s office, meanwhile, offered an \u201cI told you so\u201d statement.<\/p><p>\u201cDistrict Attorney Cannizzaro predicted that the passing of this amendment would cause prosecutors across the state to go to court and defend the constitutionality of 14:95.1,\u201d Bowman said Thursday.<\/p><p>Loyola Law School professor Dane Ciolino said it\u2019s not unusual for constitutional amendments to have consequences\u00a0 voters may not have foreseen.<\/p><p>\u201cThey\u2019re written in such general terms that are more open to interpretation,\u201d he said. \u201cThe voters have one idea of what they mean, but in the end it\u2019s going to be up to the Supreme Court to determine what they meant.\u201d<\/p><p>Ciolino he believes it\u2019s likely some kind of law limiting criminals\u2019 ability to possess weapons will eventually pass constitutional muster. But the court could agree with Derbigny and conclude that the law now being challenged is too broad, and that in passing it decades ago, the Legislature failed to consider the least restrictive solutions to the problems it was trying to address.<\/p><p>For instance, there might be no reason to consider a doctor convicted of violating drug laws a likely candidate for violence, he said.<\/p><p>\u201cThe scope of what is felonious conduct (under the law Derbigny ruled unconstitutional) includes lots of what we call \u2018malum prohibitum\u2019 offenses, offenses that don\u2019t involve violence,\u201d Ciolino said. \u201cBut I think everybody would agree that some type of regulation on felons holding a firearm will pass the strict scrutiny test.\u201d<\/p><p>For More information contact Criminal Defense <a title=\"Criminal Defense Lawyer New Orleans\" href=\"https:\/\/haroldweiser.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Attorney Harold E. Weiser<\/a> of the Weiser Law Firm<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Home December 28, 2016 admin Criminal Defense An Orleans Parish judge on Thursday ruled that the\u00a0state statute forbidding certain felons from possessing firearms is unconstitutional,\u00a0in the wake of a constitutional amendment passed last year that made the right to bear arms a fundamental one in Louisiana. The issue will now go straight to the state [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"elementor_header_footer","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-634","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-criminal-defense"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=634"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":17928,"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/634\/revisions\/17928"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=634"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=634"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/onlinewebsolutions.store\/haroldweiser\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=634"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}