The federal appeals court in New Orleans will hear arguments from multiple civil rights groups claiming New Orleans District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro is not immune over notices labeled "subpoena” they say, were used to coerce victims of domestic abuse to testify or face jail time. The documents labeled as subpoenas, were not issued by a court nor signed by any judge.
This all stems from a May 2017 lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana and Civil Rights Corps.
Lawyers with the ACLU of Louisiana, and Civil Rights Corps argued that D.A. prosecutors abused their authority by engaging in illegal and fraudulent activity when they sent out the subpoenas, and that they are not immune to their accountability.
The District Attorney’s Offices says it disagrees with the ACLU’s lawsuit and that the subpoenas in question, were not used since April 2017. The D.A. office also says the large majority of those subpoenas were issued to law enforcement personnel reminding them of upcoming court dates.