(AP) — The legal battle continues in New Orleans over whether a new jail building must be built to house inmates with mental health issues.
The city filed notice this week that it will appeal a federal judge's order denying them permission to freeze work on the project.
Mayor LaToya Cantrell's administration cites a declining jail population and the city's grim economic picture amid the pandemic.
A federal judge overseeing jail conditions has been critical of the city's opposition. The Times-Picayune/The New Orleans Advocate reports that the city continues to question the need for the project, pointing to a declining jail population among its reasons.