Appellate Clinic students Erin Abrams, Lacey Sanchez, Jessica Thomas, Jacob Irving along with Professor Robert Lancaster. The four third year students represented an indigent criminal defendant before the Louisiana Supreme Court.
Students in the LSU Appellate Clinic argued before the Louisiana Supreme Court on Oct. 16.
The Law Clinic represents Appellee, Reggie Thibodeaux, an indigent defendant from Terrebonne Parish. Appellant is the Public Defender’s Office.
The issue centers around Thibodeaux’s right to file a motion to suppress all evidence pro se while represented by a public defender. The trial court denied Thibodeaux’s motion because he was represented by counsel. Thibodeaux filed a pro se writ in the First Circuit, which ruled in his favor and remanded back to the trial court with instructions to consider the pro se motion. The Public Defender’s Office then filed a writ in the Louisiana Supreme Court appealing the First Circuit.
LSU Law student Jessica Thomas is First Chair Oralist and Lacey Sanchez is Second Chair. Jacob Irving and Erin Abrams are also students on the case.
