Louisiana has 390 justices of the peace – elected officials who handle small claims, evictions, perform marriage ceremonies and other minor matters. But some justices have turned these part-time jobs, which require no legal training or education beyond high school, into lucrative gigs that pay more than the Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court earns in a year. That’s the conclusion of a remarkable investigation by the Guardian newspaper, which found that five Louisiana justices make more than $220,000 per year. Much of the money comes from fees that justices collect in eviction cases that almost always end up with rulings that favor landlords.
Uneven playing fields in the eviction process can put additional strains on renters already struggling to get by – piling on court fees, moving charges and other costs and, studies show, harming families’ mental and physical health. Louisiana, one of the poorest states in the US, offers some of the weakest legal protection for renters in the nation. A first-of-its-kind data analysis conducted by the Guardian found that the eviction filing rate within the jurisdiction of the busiest justice of the peace court was nearly three times the national average. The rate of legal representation for tenants in this court, according to documents reviewed by the Guardian, could be as low as 1%.
Times-Picayune | Baton Rouge Advocate columnist Faimon Roberts notes that Louisiana is the only state where justices can collect income from the fees they charge, and calls on the Legislature to address the problem.
Somehow I suspect that most legislators are not big readers of The Guardian. But in this case, they should be. And they should act. Removing the link between filing fees and income is a common-sense move. And there should be greater oversight and a low-cost appeal option for those who believe they’ve been wronged in one of these courts. Tackling this issue is not glamorous work. But it’s important. After all, what does the legal system exist for other than to ensure that one citizen is not taking advantage of another?
Inequality is getting worse
The percentage of wealth that is held by the richest Americans continues to grow. Economist Marcus Schneider, writing in The Washington Post, reports that the ultra-wealthy – those in the richest 0.1% – continue to pull away from the rest of us. This tiny elite owns 15% of all wealth in America, and captured two-thirds of the gains between the first and second quarters of 2026. While escalating inequality is hardly new, Schneider reports that recent policy choices at the federal level are accelerating the trend.
Much of the inequality debate focuses on the role that taxation has played. But other recent policy changes have shifted different kinds of costs on to low- and middle-income earners, while leaving the wealthy relatively unscathed. One example is a provision in Trump’s 2025 legislation that allowed federal healthcare subsidies through the Affordable Care Act to lapse. Insurers and analysts expect the number of people signing up for coverage through ACA plans to drop by about 5 million due to higher premiums and face much higher out-of-pocket costs. The spike in energy costs, including gasoline, diesel and heating oil, is another case in point. They disproportionately affect low- and middle-income consumers but barely dent the budgets of the wealthy – while boosting the profits of companies engaged to the extraction, processing and transportation of oil.
How Oregon deals with hospital debt
As many as 100 million Americans live with medical debt, and for some that debt can be crippling. Much of that debt comes from hospital bills, and in recent years attention has focused on ways that nonprofit hospitals can better live up to their charitable mission by providing more free or discounted care to their low-income patients. An investigative team at KFF News has been digging into this problem, and their latest installment looks at a new law in Oregon that seems to be working.
Four years ago, Oregon hospitals were under fire from state authorities and patient advocates. Hospitals, critics said, had made it too hard for patients to apply for and receive help paying their bills. Within months, the state enacted a sweeping law that required hospitals to proactively screen patients and give financial aid to those who qualify for it. Oregon’s new rules, which took effect in July 2024, required hospitals to skip applications for nearly all patients — a rarity among hospitals nationwide. … The law worked. … In their first full fiscal year under the law, spending by Oregon hospitals on financial assistance more than doubled, on average, according to federal financial reports from about two-thirds of the state’s hospitals. That’s compared with their last full year before the change.
The constitutional amendments
Early voting in the Nov. 3 midterm elections ends on Tuesday. While the focus has been on races for the U.S. House and Senate, Times-Picayune |Baton Rouge Advocate columnist Will Sutton reminds us that there are 10 constitutional amendments for voters to consider and urges readers to do their homework.
I think most smart people believe it’s better to make significant policy, property and tax changes by law through the legislative process rather than adding to or changing a constitution. However, it’s difficult to pull off a constitutional convention when those in power want to keep things as they are — or control the process. … There’s good information available about each of the 10 proposed amendments. Invest in Louisiana, the Pelican Institute for Public Policy, the Power Coalition for Equity and Justice and the Public Affairs Research Council have different goals and purposes, and often different legislative philosophies. Each provides perspective. And you should know who’s behind each proposal.
Invest in Louisiana’s guide to the amendments can be found here.
Number of the Day
49% – Percentage of American families unable to afford the basic cost of living (Source: Urban Institute’s American Affordability Tracker via Louisiana Illuminator)