Louisiana Attorney General Indicted Amid Political Turmoil

Louisiana’s Attorney General, Liz Murrill, was indicted Thursday, facing allegations of threatening New Orleans leaders who opposed a Republican-led overhaul of local courts in the predominately Democratic city. The indictment comprises 16 counts, including charges of intimidation and malfeasance.

The deepening political divide between Louisiana’s largely Republican state leaders and Democrats controlling New Orleans is central to the case. Republican Governor Jeff Landry quickly promised a pardon, dismissing the charges as the actions of an ‘Orleans Kangaroo court.’ The city’s Mayor, Helena Moreno, accused Murrill of making threats against officials in May. Murrill described the indictment as ‘retaliatory, meritless, and unconstitutional,’ filing for an emergency stay with the Louisiana Supreme Court on Thursday.

She asserted, “I will not back down. I will continue enforcing the law, fighting corruption, and doing the job the people of Louisiana elected me to do,” on X.

For months, tension flared between Louisiana Republicans and New Orleans authorities over legislation that dissolved a court clerk office won by exoneree Calvin Duncan, replacing it with a consolidated clerk’s office. Republicans claimed this move would streamline the judicial system. New Orleans leaders opposed the change, calling a special election for Duncan to contest for the newly combined job, which Murrill countered by warning officials about potential repercussions under state ‘usurper’ laws.

Special prosecutor Laurie White emphasized, “We’re very interested in elected officials in New Orleans not being intimidated or threatened by letter or any other way.”

On Thursday, Murrill’s bond was set at $400,000. Landry announced a state police investigation into the alleged misconduct of the grand jury and its management, labeling the Orleans criminal justice system as ‘a circus at its finest.’

The Republican Attorneys General Association defended Murrill’s letters as ‘issuing a legal opinion and warning public officials about the law,’ criticizing the indictment as ‘outrageous and dangerous.’

Moreno, facing the allegations, commented, “My focus, as always, remains on fulfilling the responsibilities the people of New Orleans elected me to carry out.”

Duncan, who won the clerk office with 68% of the vote, accused the state of targeting him by abolishing his position. Despite his listing on the National Registry of Exonerations, Murrill and Landry have refused to acknowledge his exoneration.

Republicans maintain that the change was procedural, noting similar practices in other parishes. Duncan, a former jailhouse lawyer who was pivotal in a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision ending nonunanimous jury convictions, spent over 28 years in prison before being exonerated. His sentence was vacated in 2021 after a lengthy legal battle.