BATON ROUGE - A judge has rejected efforts of two New Orleans criminal justice reform groups to force lawmakers to listen to objections to four of the bills under consideration in the current crime special session.

Representatives of Voice Of The Experienced and the Promise of Justice Initiative had asked for a temporary restraining order to stop the progress of bills increasing options for execution methods, reducing availability of some kinds of appeals and bills reducing parole and credit for good behavior.

They argued that the House Committee on the Administration of Criminal Justice choosing to limit testimony from citizens to one hour violated their right to speak and made those public hearings invalid.

Judge Beau Higginbotham denied the request after a court hearing on Friday.

“It is clear that a hearing was taken. There was a hearing. It’s clear from testimony that each side was afforded an opportunity,” Higginbotham said. “The court does not read in there that it guarantees each individual person the right to speak.”