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State lawmakers are discussing a bill that would reshape the New Orleans court system.
House Bill 34 would merge Orleans Parish Civil District Court and Criminal District Court into a new 41st Judicial District Court. It would also eliminate nine judgeships and place juvenile court into a juvenile division within the new district court.
The bill's author, GOP State Rep. Dixon McMakin of Baton Rouge, says the decline in New Orleans's population and its smaller caseload no longer justify its court system as it is.
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