Missouri debtor's prison case, including right to counsel claim, moves forward

In Fant v. Ferguson, plaintiffs are challenging the ways fines are handled in Ferguson, Missouri, and raise a number of claims, including the city failing to hold an indigency hearing or provide counsel prior to jailing people for failing to pay fines.  The suit was brought by Equal Justice Under Law, and NPR covered the filing of the suit.  This week the federal court denied the City’s motion to dismiss the case on a variety of procedural grounds raised by the City.