Criminal Justice Policy Program at Harvard Law School
50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
50-State Criminal Justice Debt Reform Builder Bringing transparency to areas of significant legal complexity.
Attorney General Opinions
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Below are the attorney general opinions that meet your search criteria.
5 Results
| State | Citation | Description/Statute Name | Question | Brief answer | Language from the opinion | When does the case apply? | |
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Louisiana | Op. Att'y Gen. No. 97-237 (June 18, 1997) | Uniform eligibility criteria for indigency standards | Does allowing different municipalities to set their own indigency standards or fines/fees violate the equal protection afforded by the state’s constitution? | Unclear, but different municipalities are required by statute to have the same standards |
(d) uniform eligibility criteria for determining indigency and the eligibility of defendants to qualify for indigent defender representation at the district and state level;(citing language from statute creating the Louisiana + See moreDefense Board)
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Ability to pay |
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Louisiana | Op. Att'y Gen. No. 83-183 (June 17, 1983) | Court's authority to impose costs | Other applicable opinions |
It is well settled that the recovery and allowance of costs in criminal prosecutions is dependent entirely on statutory provisions. Absent statutory authority, a court has no power to award + See morecosts against a defendant on conviction. See C. J. S. Costs Section 435, 437.
Op. Att'y Gen. No. 83-183 (June 17, 1983)
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Fines and fees | |
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Mississippi | 1981 WL 39784 (Miss.A.G.); Miss. Code Ann. § 99-19-20 (2) | Mississippi-Attorney General opinion | Does allowing different municipalities to set their own indigency standards or fines/fees violate the equal protection afforded by the state’s constitution? | apparently not, because judges rule on indigency on a case-by-case basis |
In the event an indigent is unable to pay his fine, a justice court judge may rely upon Section 99-19-20 of the Mississippi Code, 1972 , as amended, as an + See morealternative procedure in working with indigents.
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Mississippi | 1996 WL 224005 (Miss.A.G.) | Mississippi-Attorney General opinion | What authority do county or municipal courts have to set fines or fees? | The court has the authority to impose "reasonable" fees for costs incurred by the court system. | In response, see the Primeaux opinion which states that Mississippi Code Annotated Section 21-23-7(11) allows a municipal court to impose reasonable costs of court which could include a service of process fee. | Fines and fees |
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Illinois |
1997 Ill. Atty. Gen. Op. 027 (Ill.A.G.), 1997 WL 824988; 1984 Ill. Atty. Gen. Op. 72 (Ill.A.G.), 1984 WL 60051; 1992 WL 469747 (Ill.A.G.); 1985 Ill. Atty. Gen. Op. 126 + See more(Ill.A.G.), 1985 WL 68980
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Illinois-Attorney General opinion | What authority do county or municipal courts have to set fines or fees? | Fines and fees |