TL;DR
Attorney General Liz Murrill spent the past year threatening to remove elected New Orleans officials from office. The short answer to whether she actually can: no. Only a judge can remove an elected official — Murrill can only file a petition asking one to. But the underlying fight started with a voter, not a letter. Calvin Duncan, a wrongfully-convicted man turned attorney, won the Orleans Parish Criminal Clerk’s race with about 68% of the vote. The Legislature abolished the office almost as soon as he won it.
Key Points
- Only a judge can remove an elected official in Louisiana — the Attorney General can file a petition, but cannot remove anyone herself.
- The conflict began when the Legislature abolished the Orleans Parish Criminal Clerk’s office shortly after Calvin Duncan won it with roughly 68% of the vote.
- Murrill’s May 13 letters warned Mayor Helena Moreno, DA Jason Williams, and five City Council members that they risked “forfeiture” of their own offices.
- A grand jury indicted Murrill on 16 felony counts; the Louisiana Supreme Court’s stay was procedural, not a ruling on the merits; the charges were later dismissed at the city’s own request.
- Multiple civil challenges against both Murrill and Governor Jeff Landry remain pending over Act 15 and the elimination of Orleans Criminal Court judgeships.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has spent the past year testing the limits of her office — and the patience of New Orleans voters. Her threats to the Mayor, District Attorney, and City Council raised a fundamental question. So did her aggressive interpretation of “usurper statutes,” and her alignment with Governor Jeff Landry’s judicial restructuring.
Can the Attorney General remove elected officials from office? The short answer: no. The long answer: she’s trying anyway.
This fight didn’t begin with a letter. It began with a voter — attorney Calvin Duncan — and a Legislature that erased the office he had just won.
Calvin Duncan: The Spark That Lit the Fuse
Attorney Calvin Duncan is not just a reform advocate. He is a symbol of resilience and justice in Louisiana.
He spent 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit. During that time, he became a jailhouse lawyer, helping countless incarcerated people file appeals. The Innocence Project helped secure his release. He later graduated from Tulane University Law School and wrote the book “Jailhouse Lawyer.”
In November 2025, Duncan won the election for Orleans Parish Criminal District Court Clerk with roughly 68% of the vote.
Then the Legislature passed Act 15, abolishing the criminal clerk’s office entirely and consolidating its duties under Civil Clerk Chelsey Richard Napoleon. At the same time, lawmakers — backed by Governor Jeff Landry — eliminated judgeships in Orleans Criminal District Court. I’ve written before about how Landry has rewired how power actually flows in this state, and this is that rewiring applied directly to a courthouse.
Some observers believe state Republicans resented what Duncan represented. A Black man, wrongfully convicted, exonerated, educated, and overwhelmingly chosen by voters, poised to lead a major judicial office. That is the core of the conflict: New Orleans voters were overruled by statewide officials who didn’t like the outcome.
The Threatening Letter: “Possible Forfeiture of Your Own Office”
On May 13, 2026, AG Liz Murrill sent letters to Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams. Five City Council members received them too: JP Morrell, Lesli Harris, Eugene Green, Freddie King III, and Oliver Thomas.
Her most alarming line: “The New Orleans City Council’s May 11 resolutions now trigger serious consequences under Louisiana’s usurper statutes, including the possible forfeiture of your own office.”
Many saw her actions as political intimidation. It read as an attempt to bully New Orleans officials into abandoning their efforts to restore democratic control after Duncan’s office was abolished.
The Indictment: New Orleans Pushes Back
On July 2, 2026, an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted Murrill on 16 felony counts, split between intimidation and malfeasance in office.
The Louisiana Supreme Court issued a stay on the indictment and arrest warrant. That stay was unsigned, procedural, and not a ruling on the merits. It came without a written opinion, a vote count, or a dissent.
Later, at the request of Mayor Moreno and several council members, Special Prosecutor Laurie White dismissed the charges. I broke down that retreat in an earlier piece on Murrill’s indictment fallout.
Pending Lawsuits Against Murrill and Governor Landry
Against AG Liz Murrill: civil challenges tied to Act 15, legal disputes over her interpretation of usurper statutes, and the criminal indictment itself. That charge has since been dismissed.
Against Governor Jeff Landry: challenges to Act 15 and to the elimination of Orleans Criminal Court judgeships. Legal filings also target the broader takeover of New Orleans’ judiciary.
Race, Power, and the “Chocolate City”
After Hurricane Katrina, Mayor Ray Nagin famously called New Orleans a “chocolate city” — a majority-Black city with a distinct cultural and political identity.
Princeton professor Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. put it this way: “Not every issue is about race, but race influences everything in the United States.” In Louisiana, and especially in New Orleans, that influence is unmistakable.
The Bottom Line
Liz Murrill cannot remove elected officials. Jeff Landry cannot erase New Orleans voters. But both have already succeeded in reshaping the city’s judiciary — regardless of what any court eventually decides.
“The Attorney General can file a petition, but only a judge can remove an elected official.”
Sources:
Louisiana Legislature — Act 15, 2026 Regular Session
Orleans Parish grand jury indictment records, July 2, 2026
Louisiana Supreme Court — stay order on Murrill indictment
The Innocence Project — Calvin Duncan case history
Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton University — public commentary on race in American politics
About the Author
C.C. Campbell-Rock is a New Orleans-based investigative journalist covering civil rights, voting rights, and the intersection of race and power in Louisiana politics for Black Source Media.
The Fight Over Who Controls New Orleans’ Courts Isn’t Over
C.C. Campbell-Rock breaks down the legal fights shaping Black political power in Louisiana — straight to your inbox.
Subscribe to the Newsletter
Publisher — Black Source Media
Jeff Thomas
Publisher • Opinion Columnist • New Orleans
Jeff Thomas is the publisher of Black Source Media and one of New Orleans’ most direct voices on civic affairs, economic justice, and Louisiana politics. He writes from the intersection of experience and accountability — as a licensed general contractor,a tech company founder and executive with over 30 years experience, and a businessman who has worked across the city’s civic, media, and construction ecosystems for decades.
His Sunday column covers Louisiana legislative politics, insurance discrimination, housing policy, and the forces shaping Black community life in New Orleans and across the state. Thomas writes in the tradition of Black journalists who hold power accountable without apology — building arguments from data, delivering verdicts from evidence, and speaking to Black New Orleans with the directness the moment demands.
He is also the principal of EA Inspection Services, LLC, a government inspection services company. Black Source Media is his platform for the civic conversation New Orleans has needed and too rarely had.
Selected Articles by Jeff Thomas
Black Neighborhoods Pay the Highest Insurance Rates in Louisiana. Here’s What They Don’t Want You to Know.
They Didn’t Yell the N-Word. They Went to Law School, Bided Their Time, and Rewrote the Constitution Instead.
Vappie vs. Morrell: Why Does Justice Look Different in New Orleans?
The State Has the Money. New Orleans East Just Needs Them to Use It.
The Failure of Mitch Landrieu
