Exoneree Wins Landslide Victory, Then Office Eliminated
Calvin Duncan, a legal advocate and prisoner rights activist who spent 26 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, won election as Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court in November 2025 with 68% of the vote. Just three hours after his inauguration in April 2026, a federal appeals court cleared the way for a hastily passed state law that abolished his position, effectively removing him from office.
Duncan, now 64, studied law while incarcerated at Angola prison, a former slave plantation, and helped secure the release of hundreds of inmates. His victory was seen as a historic milestone in a state with the highest incarceration rate in the US. But within hours, the Republican-dominated legislature merged his office with another court position, arguing efficiency. Duncan and his supporters view the move as a targeted act of racial suppression.
A Life Defined by the Courthouse
Duncan's relationship with the Orleans Parish criminal courthouse spans decades. In 1985, he was sentenced there to life without parole for the murder of David Yeager, based largely on a single eyewitness whose description did not match him. After years of self-taught legal work, he secured his release in 2011 and was fully exonerated in 2021. He later graduated from law school at age 60.
“Everything I was believing in had been crushed,” Duncan said of his short-lived tenure. “I believed in the democratic process. I was out there saying ‘times have changed,’ but this has told me ain’t nothing changed. It’s still Reconstruction. They will take your seat just like they did during Reconstruction.”
Political Attacks and Legal Threats
During the campaign, Duncan faced attacks from both Republicans and factions within the Democratic Party. Louisiana's far-right attorney general threatened legal action if he referred to himself as an exoneree, despite his official exoneration in 2021. His opponent, incumbent Democrat Darren Lombard, called him a “convicted killer” on live television. The state legislature moved to abolish the clerk position immediately after Duncan's win.
Duncan accused Governor Jeff Landry and Attorney General Liz Murrill of a “coordinated conspiracy” targeting him for his racial justice work. Murrill invoked a Reconstruction-era “usurper” law to threaten eight city officials who supported Duncan. In May 2026, she was indicted by a grand jury in New Orleans over those threats.
Three Hours of Victory
On the day of his inauguration, Duncan entered the courthouse, sat at the clerk's desk, and toured the archives. He saw scattered boxes of records covered in cobwebs, thinking of those still incarcerated. “I have always considered myself as a protector of the constitution,” he said at the ceremony. “God gave me those three hours. I was the clerk. That’s what I wanted to be. And nobody could take that away from me.”
Duncan plans to run for the modified clerk position when it becomes available in four years. He co-authored a memoir, The Jailhouse Lawyer, with Sophie Cull, now available in paperback.
