Calvin Duncan sues Louisiana officials over bid to block elected office
Updated
Updated · WHIO · Apr 30
Calvin Duncan sues Louisiana officials over bid to block elected office
10 articles · Updated · WHIO · Apr 30
The New Orleans official-elect filed suit on Wednesday against Governor Jeff Landry and others after lawmakers sent a bill abolishing the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court post before his May 4 start.
Duncan, whose murder conviction was vacated in 2021 after nearly 30 years in prison, asked a federal judge to let him take office and said officials targeted a Black exoneree and racial justice supporter.
The dispute has resonated among exonerees nationwide, who say stigma persists after release; more than 3,800 people have been exonerated in the US since 1989, often without state-backed support services.
Can an exoneree elected to reform the justice system be stopped by the system itself?
Can lawmakers abolish an office just to block the person voters elected to fill it?