Put the mayor under house arrest

The state supreme court says the city owes $35 million to people issued illegitimate traffic camera tickets between 2008 and 2010. The ruling is somewhat technical. During those years the money was collected by the Department of Public Works instead of NOPD in violation of the City Charter. A different suit challenging the constitutionality of all camera tickets is still pending in federal court so stay tuned for that.

Stay tuned also to find out if anybody ever sees an actual refund. As we know, the city is often very late paying out judgements when it isn't ignoring them altogether.  However, there was one time, not too long ago in fact, when the courts decided to play hardball. In 2015, Civil District Court judge Kern Reese came very close to placing Mitch Landrieu under house arrest in an effort to force the city to finally make good on its decades old debt of back pay to firefighters. The state supreme court stopped that at the last minute but the circus seems to have served as a catalyst for the mayor to finally arrange a deal to pay the firefighters.

Anyway Cantrell is quoted in this article pledging this and other judgments will be paid "subject to appropriation" which means, as soon as we find the money, whenever that is. But remember theoretically the judges could still arrest Cantrell, or more likely some future mayor, if there comes a time when they think the foot dragging has gone on too long.