Opinion ID: 1842322
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Constitutionality of La. R.S. 15:304 and 15:571.11

Text: In the instant case, defense counsel challenged the constitutionality of La. R.S. 15:304 and La. R.S. 15:571.11 in her Motion to Determine Source of Funds to Provide Competent Defense. Specifically, counsel found fault with La. R.S. 15:304's command that [n]othing in this Section shall be construed to make the parishes or the city of New Orleans responsible for the expenses associated with the costs, expert fees, or attorney fees of a defendant in a criminal proceeding. As to La. R.S. 15:571.11, it appears that defense counsel objects not to what the statute contains, but to the effect of 1994 La. Acts, 3rd Ex.Sess. 81, which amended the statute to delete the provision authorizing the use of a parish's criminal court fund to defray costs of providing counsel to indigent defendants, although the provision had been re-affirmed only a year before in 1993 La. Acts 834. See also 1959 La. Acts 8 § 1 (authorizing payments to defray costs of defending indigents). According to counsel, these legislative actions deprive [her] of her property interest in both her license to practice law and the financial interest of her law firm without due process of law in violation of the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution and Article 1, Section 4 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974 as amended. Counsel further claimed that the legislature's creation of the Louisiana Indigent Defender Assistance Board (LIDAB) does not absolve the state of the duty to provide LIDAB with adequate appropriation to ensure that the state meets the constitutional requirements set out in Wigley, 624 So.2d at 429, and Peart, 621 So.2d at 791. The trial court rejected counsel's argument regarding counsel's own due process claim, but agreed with counsel's argument regarding the most recent changes to La. R.S. 15:304 and La. R.S. 15:571.11 and their effect on the rights of the instant indigent defendants. Specifically, the trial court found that because the two statutes, when read together, bar the court from ordering the use of surplus funds to defray the costs of representation for an indigent defendant, they are unconstitutional: under the provision of Article I, Sections 2,3, and 13 of the Louisiana Constitution of 1974, as amended, and the corresponding Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the United States Constitution, securing the rights of due process, equal protection, and the right to counsel. The State, the CPPJ, [9] and the Attorney General claim that the trial court erroneously ruled La. R.S. 15:304 and La. R.S. 15:571.11 unconstitutional and thus lacked the judicial authority to order the police jury to make available $200,000 for attorney fees and $75,000 for expert witness fees. Specifically, prosecutors argue that the trial court ignored the presumption of constitutionality to be afforded all statutes, that the court violated La. Const. Art. II § 2 (Except as otherwise provided by this constitution, no one of these branches, nor any person holding office in one of them, shall exercise power belonging to either of the others.) and La. Const. Art. III § 1 (The legislative power of the state is vested in the legislature[ ... ].), and that the trial court could have resolved the case without ruling the statutes unconstitutional. In its brief, counsel for the attorney general seconds the prosecutors' argument that the legislature should determine who bears the costs of defending indigents. [10] As an initial matter, statutes are presumed constitutional, and any doubt is to be resolved in the statute's favor. State v. Brenner, 486 So.2d 101, 103 (La.1986); Theriot v. Terrebonne Parish Police Jury, 436 So.2d 515, 520 (La.1983). The party challenging the constitutionality of a statute bears the burden of proving that statute to be unconstitutional. State v. Fleury, 01-0871 (La.10/16/01), 799 So.2d 468, 472; State v. Brooks, 541 So.2d 801, 811 (La.1989); State v. Griffin, 495 So.2d 1306, 1308 (La.1986). The challenging party must also cite to the specific provision of the constitution which prohibits the legislative action. Fleury, supra at 472 (citing Moore v. Roemer, 567 So.2d 75, 78 (La.1990)). Further, although the courts generally possess the power and authority to decide the constitutionality of challenged statutory provisions, a court is required to decide a constitutional issue only `if the procedural posture of the case and the relief sought by the appellant demand that [it] do so.' State v. Mercadel, 03-3015 (La.5/25/04), 874 So.2d 829, 834 (quoting Ring v. State, Dept. of Transp. & Development, 02-1367 (La.1/14/03), 835 So.2d 423, 428). Further, a court should avoid constitutional questions whenever the case can be disposed of on non-constitutional grounds. Ring, 835 So.2d at 427; see Cat's Meow, Inc. v. City of New Orleans, 98-0601 (La.10/20/98), 720 So.2d 1186, 1200. Notably, neither the trial court, nor defense counsel, made any mention of the statutes in question enjoying a presumption of constitutionality. Further, in issuing its ruling, the court stated that it found the language of La. R.S. 15:304 that nothing in this section shall be construed to make the parish responsible for attorney fees and costs to be ambiguous. [11] In any event, the trial court's ruling that La. R.S. 15:304 and 15:571.11 violate the defendants' rights of due process, right to counsel, and equal protection is erroneous. The constitution requires that indigent defendants are entitled to the assistance of counsel and that the legislature provide for a uniform system for securing and compensating qualified counsel. The statutes at issue clearly meet the constitutional requirements because they, along with La. R.S. 15:144 et seq. and La. R.S. 15:151 et seq., specifically provide the medium in which to seek funding for indigent defense. The statutes do not declare that indigent defense costs will not be paid, they simply place this burden on the state. The fact that the legislature has not adequately funded the programs it has created to meet its constitutional mandate does not make the statutes themselves unconstitutional. Further, while the statutes prohibit the parishes from being required to pay for indigent defense, nothing in the statutes prohibit the parishes from paying these expenses if they so chose. As stated in Craig, the legislature has the constitutional right and authority to declare responsibility for the payment of these costs and it has done so. The mere fact that it has exempted these expenses from the individual parishes does not diminish any of the constitutionally guaranteed rights and freedoms of these defendants or of their attorneys.