Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill was indicted Thursday on criminal charges by a grand jury in New Orleans. The indictment accuses Murrill of attempting to intimidate local officials who opposed a law enacted by Republican legislators to overhaul the city's courts.
Murrill allegedly told eight New Orleans officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, that they could face removal from their positions for opposing the law. This legislation eliminated the position of Orleans Parish criminal court clerk shortly before Calvin Duncan, who spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction, was elected to the post with 68% of the vote.
State legislators approved the law at the urging of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry just days before Duncan was scheduled to take office in May. Supporters of Duncan viewed the law as a measure by the conservative Legislature to thwart the will of voters in a predominantly Black, Democratic area within a Republican state. Duncan, who became a lawyer after his release from prison, founded a nonprofit focused on expanding incarcerated people's access to the court system and was instrumental in a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision that ended nonunanimous jury convictions.
Murrill's bond was set at $400,000. Governor Landry publicly criticized the indictment, vowing to pardon Murrill "as fast as the law allows" and describing the justice system in New Orleans as a "circus" and "Kangaroo court."
The Republican Attorneys General Association defended Murrill, stating that her actions constituted issuing a legal opinion and warning public officials about the law as part of her official duties. Critics, however, viewed her statements as an attempt to intimidate officials into accepting the law.
Local officials had held a swearing-in ceremony for Duncan prior to the legislative action. The City Council also moved to fill the combined clerk of court position through a special election, which prompted Murrill's warnings about violating state "usurper" laws.
Mayor Moreno stated that the indictment is "a matter for the courts" and that her focus remains on her duties. Assistant District Attorney Laurie White, who is prosecuting the case, expressed confidence in its simplicity and openness, and commented on Landry's pardon promise, saying, "Let’s get her convicted, and then he can pardon her."
Proponents of the law argue it enhances government efficiency and addresses issues within the Orleans Parish court system, noting that other parishes combine similar clerk positions. However, Duncan maintains that state officials are retaliating against him. He had previously sought compensation from the state for his imprisonment, but withdrew his petition after Murrill threatened his law license for referring to himself as exonerated and demanded he cease doing so.
Duncan was imprisoned for over 28 years in connection with a 1981 shooting. In 2011, he accepted a plea deal that reduced his sentence, leading to his release. He continued efforts to clear his name, and in 2021, a judge vacated his conviction and sentence, agreeing he had been unjustly convicted. Officials like Landry and Murrill have cited the 2011 plea deal in their objections to Duncan's claims of exoneration.