NEW ORLEANS -- A federal judge wants to know if a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling would bar a woman from defending herself against charges she conspired with a Louisiana lawmaker to launder money.

Gwendolyn Joseph Moyo isn't a lawyer but has elected to represent herself in a case that also has resulted in a conspiracy charge against state Senator Derrick Shepherd.

During a hearing next Thursday in New Orleans, U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier plans to ask Moyo and prosecutors if her self-representation is affected by a decision last month by the nation's highest court.

Last month, the Supreme Court ruled the Constitution does not forbid states from requiring a defendant to be representing by an attorney. The case involved a robbery suspect in Indiana who was found mentally competent to stand trial but not to represent himself.

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