Court Overturns Controversial Sentence of Black Mayor in Louisiana

From [HERE] 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 10 months in jail. In a two-to-one ruling this week, the Second Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the former mayor’s conviction and vacated his sentence.