Canaan v. City of El Paso
This case challenged the City of El Paso’s payment policy for Class C misdemeanors – usually parking tickets.
News
Pennsylvania HB 2043: Providing for payment of court costs, restitution and fines… failure to pay fine.
Pennsylvania’s 2015 House Bill 2043 mandates that courts provide community service and payment plans as alternatives for people who would experience manifest hardship if they had to pay all of their fines and fees at once.
City of Slater v. State (Missouri)
This case challenged the constitutionality of a $3 surcharge imposed on litigants in municipal court for the sheriff’s retirement fund. The trial court dismissed for lack of standing. The appellants claimed to have standing as taxpayers, administrators, and as one who paid the surcharge.
Protecting vs. Policing: Indigent Defendants in Rhode Island’s Court Debt Collection Regime
This thesis paper investigates who is being jailed in Rhode Island for outstanding court debt, the impact of the 2008 legislative reforms, and the effects incarceration has on people’s lives.
White House Forum on Access to Justice Panel: Fines & Fees – At the Intersection of Civil and Criminal Justice
In this video recording of a White House Forum on Access to Justice panel, FFJC Co-Director Lisa Foster (then Director of the Office of Access to Justice at the Department of Justice) moderates a panel about how fines and fees in the criminal justice system can lead to a myriad of civil woes for low-income Americans.
Nelson v. Colorado
The question before the U.S. Supreme Court was whether the State is required to return court fines and fees paid upon conviction when the conviction is reversed on appeal. Both Petitioners’ convictions were reversed on appeal, and they sought a refund of the fines and fees they paid.
Iowa SB 2316: An Act relating to the collection of delinquent court debt and associated installment agreements.
Iowa Senate Bill 2316 makes changes to Iowa’s court debt collection practices. The amendments allow people to enter into a payment plan for court debt and outline the process for modifying payment plans when people are unable to pay.
Stopped, Fined, Arrested: Racial Bias in Policing and Traffic Courts in California
In California, Black and Latino drivers are more likely to have their licenses suspended or be arrested for driving with a suspended license. This report examines the stark racial and …
Complaint to the Department of Justice Regarding National Origin Discrimination in the First Parish Court of Jefferson Parish
After being convicted of traffic violations, the four complainants were sentenced to pay for and attend English classes and charged high fees for interpreter services in addition to court fines …
Disenfranchised by Debt
This report discusses how criminal disenfranchisement laws prevent millions of people from regaining the right to vote because they cannot afford criminal legal fines and fees.