Louisiana Supreme Court Chief Justice Bernette Johnson ripped her colleagues on the court this week for affirming an 18-year prison sentence for a man who was arrested with 18 grams of marijuana. Howard had appealed his conviction, but Louisiana’s Supreme Court ruled this week that there was enough evidence that Howard intended to distribute the marijuana. When investigators searched his home they found four separate baggies of marijuana inside of a larger bag, according to court documents. However, Johnson asserts in her dissent that the state found Howard guilty of nothing more than possession of marijuana, not of intent to distribute it. Johnson believes that the state “overreacted” in its sentencing of Johnson because police found a firearm in his bedroom closet.

Source: Huffington Post May 05, 2017 23:03 UTC