Ensuring that our public officials are held accountable for their day-to-day decisions and actions is a basic tenant of American democracy. On any given day, public servants of various independent offices including judges, attorneys, police officers, sheriffs, clerks, and judicial administrators must work together in criminal court in a productive and efficient manner.

Courtwatchers enjoy seeing the intersections of these different offices which create our local criminal justice system. Our volunteers take notes on bright yellow clipboards while observing court, paying special attention to any violations of civil rights or ethics rules. Each story of a courtwatcher’s day in court is uploaded to our database, where Court Watch NOLA aggregates the data and compares its analysis to historical data trends.

Court Watch NOLA welcomes volunteers from all walks of life and pays special appreciation to those whose lives have been impacted by the criminal justice system, as a victim, defendant, family member, witness, or taxpayer.