Louisiana's Republican attorney general, Liz Murrill, was indicted on Thursday by a grand jury in New Orleans on criminal charges. She is accused of trying to intimidate local officials who opposed a law enacted by GOP legislators to overhaul the local courts.
Details of the Indictment
Murrill allegedly told eight New Orleans officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, that they could face removal from their jobs due to their opposition to the law. The law eliminated the position of Orleans Parish criminal court clerk after Calvin Duncan, a man who spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction, was elected to the post with 68% of the vote.
Background of the Controversial Law
Legislators approved the law at the urging of Republican Governor Jeff Landry, just days before Duncan was to take office in May. Duncan's supporters viewed it as a move by a majority-white conservative legislature to thwart the will of voters in a predominantly Black Democratic hub in a red state.
Reactions from Officials
On Thursday, Landry called the New Orleans criminal justice system “a circus at its finest” and promised to pardon Murrill on the 16 charges against her “as fast as the law allows.” The Republican Attorneys General Association called the indictment “as outrageous as it is dangerous.” The group stated that Murrill was simply “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 them into accepting the law.
