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April 27, 2012

Court Overturns Controversial Sentence of Black Mayor in Louisiana 
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A federal appeals court has overturned the conviction of an
African-American mayor in Louisiana whose prosecution had sparked
accusations of racial bias. Bobby Higginbotham, the former mayor of the
town of Waterproof, was initially convicted on allegations of illegally
raising his salary and other improprieties. But supporters say
Higginbotham was targeted for trying to modernize the town's police
department and in the process angering the area's white sheriff and
prosecutor. Higginbotham was convicted in a trial that saw a number of
irregularities including his lack of legal counsel after prosecutors
blocked his attorney and the public defender had a conflict of interest.
Although one possible sentence was probation, Higginbotham has instead
spent the last ten months in jail. In a 2-to-1 ruling this week, the
Second Circuit Court of Appeal reversed the former mayor's conviction
and vacated his sentence.

 

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