Louisiana’s Republican Attorney General, Liz Murrill, was indicted on July 2, 2026, by a grand jury in New Orleans on criminal charges. She is accused of attempting to intimidate local officials who opposed a law enacted by GOP legislators to overhaul the local courts.
Murrill reportedly told eight New Orleans officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams, that they could face removal from their positions due to their opposition to the law. The legislation eliminated the position of Orleans parish criminal court clerk shortly before Calvin Duncan, a man wrongfully imprisoned for decades, was set to take office after winning the post with 68% of the vote.
The law was approved by legislators at the urging of Republican Governor Jeff Landry just days before Duncan was to assume office in May. Supporters of Duncan viewed the move as an effort by a predominantly white conservative legislature to override the will of voters in a largely Black Democratic area within a red state.
Governor Landry criticized the New Orleans criminal justice system as "a circus at its finest" and pledged to pardon Murrill on the 16 charges against her "as fast as the law allows." The Republican Attorneys General Association condemned the indictment as "as outrageous as it is dangerous," stating that Murrill was merely "issuing a legal opinion and warning public officials about the law" in her official capacity.
Critics of Murrill, however, interpret her actions as an attempt to intimidate officials into accepting the new law.
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