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Cheri Hayden’s conviction has been definitively overturned! After being overturned TWICE by the Louisiana Fifth Circuit Court of Appeal, on November 19, 2025, the Louisiana Supreme Court has declined to intervene in Cheri Hayden’s case. Cheri Hayden’s conviction has been definitively overturned. Innocence & Justice Louisiana will be filing for bail so that she can be released.

Last month, we celebrated the release of Ricky Thomas, who served more than 20 years of a life sentence for burglary under Louisiana’s habitual offender law. When he was sentenced in 2005, Ricky had no hope of release. But even in the face of a life sentence, he refused to give up. Over the course of two decades, he completed vocational training in pest control, served as a groundskeeper, joined multiple ministries, and became a…

After more than 24 years as Innocence Project New Orleans, and after much careful deliberation with our staff, board, clients, and allies, we are excited to announce our new name: Innocence & Justice Louisiana. Our new name and new brand reflect the full scope of the work we have been doing: we work across the state of Louisiana freeing people who are innocent and those who are in prison unjustly, supporting them in freedom.

Innocence & Justice Louisiana is a short film that premiered at our gala in September, marking the launch of our new name and brand. The film traces the evolution of Innocence Project New Orleans into Innocence & Justice Louisiana and highlights our ongoing fight for freedom and justice across the…

BY JOY HOLDEN | The Advocate Sullivan Walter, 56, sat at a conference table in the small converted house that now functions as Innocence & Justice Louisiana, formerly known as Innocent Project New Orleans. He choked back tears when he recalled the moment he read a letter from Richard Davis,…

After more than 24 years as Innocence Project New Orleans, and after much careful deliberation with our staff, board, clients, and allies, we are excited to announce our new name: Innocence & Justice Louisiana. Our new name and new brand reflect the full scope of the work we have been doing: we work across the state of Louisiana freeing people who are innocent and those who are in prison unjustly, supporting them in freedom.

After 32 years behind bars, Keith Ezidore’s 1993 second-degree murder conviction was overturned in July 2025 by Louisiana’s 5th Circuit Court. Judges ruled prosecutors withheld key evidence about a witness’s juvenile record, a Brady violation that could have altered the case. Ezidore maintains he never committed the crime.

Thirteen men who spent more than six centuries wrongfully imprisoned gathered in Baton Rouge for Exonerated Voices. Moderated by law professor Angela Allen-Bell, they described coerced confessions, flawed prosecutions, and systemic failures that stole decades of freedom—while calling for accountability and reform in Louisiana’s justice system.

A bill to repeal Louisiana’s wrongful conviction compensation law has been shelved after backlash from advocacy groups. Rep. Nicholas Muscarello admitted HB 673 “went too far,” while Innocence Project New Orleans called it “cruel.” Advocates stress exonerees need these funds to rebuild lives stolen by wrongful convictions.

Wilbert Jones spent 46 years in prison for a crime he didn’t commit before his 2017 exoneration. Now, the compensation helping him rebuild could be eliminated under a new bill backed by Attorney General Liz Murrill. Advocates warn repealing the law would leave exonerees without critical support to survive.

Innocence & Justice Louisiana warns that proposed bills HB 673 and HB 675 threaten exonerees’ rights by repealing compensation and restricting post-conviction relief. We urge citizens to contact your legislators and oppose these cruel laws that would leave innocent people without resources or avenues to prove their wrongful convictions.