Louisiana’s Republican Attorney General, Liz Murrill, has been indicted on criminal charges by a grand jury in New Orleans, accused of attempting to intimidate local officials who opposed a controversial law overhauling the city’s courts.
The indictment alleges Murrill warned eight New Orleans officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, that they could face removal from their positions for fighting legislation that eliminated the Orleans Parish criminal court clerk role.
This law was enacted at the urging of Republican Governor Jeff Landry just days before Calvin Duncan, a man who spent decades wrongfully imprisoned, was set to assume the post after winning 68% of the vote.
Supporters of Duncan viewed the move by a predominantly white conservative Legislature as an attempt to thwart the will of voters in a largely Black, Democratic-leaning city within a red state.
Governor Landry strongly defended Murrill, calling the New Orleans criminal justice system "a circus at its finest" and promising to pardon her on the 16 charges "as fast as the law allows."
The Republican Attorneys General Association also condemned the indictment as "as outrageous as it is dangerous," arguing Murrill was simply "issuing a legal opinion and warning public officials about the law" as part of her official duties.
However, her critics maintain her actions were a clear attempt at intimidation.
