Even though a judge ruled 12 days ago that they should be set free, hundreds of people remain in New Orleans Parish custody while the Louisiana Supreme Court reviews the case. After contradictory rulings by the state's 1st and 4th Circuit courts of appeal, the high court blocked the inmates' release until it orders otherwise.

District Judge Calvin Johnson of Orleans Parish had ordered the inmates released on Nov. 10, saying prosecutors took too long to decide whether to file formal charges.

After an arrest, Louisiana prosecutors have 45 days to bring misdemeanor charges and 60 days for felonies. But the Orleans Parish District Attorney's Office contends that those deadlines were extended by an executive order signed by Gov. Kathleen Blanco after Hurricane Katrina.