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

CC Campbell-Rock

Investigative Journalist — Black Source Media

C.C. Campbell-Rock

Civil Rights Journalist • Louisiana Weekly • Capital Outlook • Black Agenda Report

C.C. Campbell-Rock is a New Orleans-based investigative journalist with decades of experience covering civil rights, voting rights, and the political forces shaping Black community life in Louisiana. She is a verified contributor to the Louisiana Weekly and Capital Outlook, and her work has been cited by Black Agenda Report for her sharp analysis of the intersection of law, politics, and race in the South. Her reporting at Black Source Media focuses on the legal and legislative battles that most directly affect Black Louisianans — from voting rights litigation to land grabs, redlining, and the ongoing assault on Black political representation. She covered the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais and its consequences for Black voting power with the depth and precision that only comes from decades of watching these battles play out in real time. Campbell-Rock writes with the urgency of a journalist who understands that civil rights are not won once and kept forever — they are defended continuously or they are lost. Her work at Black Source Media is part of that defense.

Selected Articles by C.C. Campbell-Rock

• Louisiana’s War on Black Votes Has a New Front
• View All Articles by C.C. Campbell-Rock at Black Source Media

C.C. Campbell-Rock contributes investigative reporting to blacksourcemedia.com and the Louisiana Weekly.

See Full Bio