Dr. Anthony “Tony” Licciardi, a gratis faculty research associate at the University of New Orleans Survey Research Center, has received a prestigious national award for his role in developing TheFairPayApp.com, a judicial tool aimed at promoting fairness in court fines and fees.

Licciardi was honored with the IJIS Court Integration Excellence Award, which recognizes innovative uses of technology to improve the justice system. The award will be presented July 21 at the National Association for Court Management’s Annual Conference in Omaha, Nebraska.

Designed to help judges assess a defendant’s ability to pay, TheFairPayApp.com has been adopted by the City Court of Hammond, where Licciardi serves as court administrator. “The Fair Pay App provides a clear, objective framework for evaluating a person's ability to pay, which allows the court to uphold the law without imposing undue hardship,” said Judge C. Britain Sledge III.

Licciardi earned both his Master of Public Administration and Ph.D. in political science from UNO. “This award is an extraordinary honor for TheFairPayApp.com and a validation of the work being done to promote fairness in our court systems,” he said. “TheFairPayApp.com turns conceptual policy into something real, usable, and effective in the courtroom.”