A victory for the governor, and for Louisiana.

N.O. courts merger is signed by Blanco: "

A proposal to merge the Orleans Parish Civil and Criminal district courts and their related offices into a single court system has been signed into law by Gov. Kathleen Blanco.

The governor signed Senate Bill 645 by Sen. Willie Mount, D-Lake Charles, on Friday, one of more than 600 bills she has approved, Blanco spokesman Roderick Hawkins said Tuesday.

The bill is identical to one filed by Rep. Peppi Bruneau, R-New Orleans, who is the lead co-sponsor of Mount's bill. The court merger bill and a proposed constitutional amendment to consolidate the seven Orleans Parish assessors' offices into one in 2010 were Blanco's top priorities in the recent legislative session."