The report suggested restoring some power to municipalities to help them ensure tickets are paid, which drew praise from a north St. Louis County mayor but scorn from the lawyer who has arguably fought the hardest to limit that power.

“What I like about this report is that it creates a mechanism for oversight of the courts” but protected municipalities’ ability to prosecute people who are “openly defiant” about breaking laws and skipping court, said Normandy Mayor Patrick Green.

The report said a new state law created confusion about whether someone could be jailed for nonpayment or failure to show in court. Jail should be an option for people who are found to be in contempt, the group said. Cash bail, when used appropriately to ensure someone’s court appearance, is consistent with the state constitution and necessary.

Thomas Harvey, co-founder and executive director of ArchCity Defenders, said he hopes the Supreme Court doesn’t place much weight on the report.

“It is a political document that I think genuinely expresses a fundamental misunderstanding of the basic issues raised by our pending federal litigation” alleging that several St. Louis County communities run debtors’ prisons, he said.