A federal judge in Louisiana delivered a major victory to advocates of the poor who have argued that criminal justice systems across the nation exploit folks who can least afford to pay excessive court fees and fines. U.S. District Judge Sarah Vance ordered courts in Orleans Parish on Friday to allow a “neutral forum” to determine whether defendants can afford to pay court fees before sending them to jail for nonpayment, the Advocate reported, bringing an end to a three-year legal battle over the parish’s “debtors’ prison” system.