Louisiana Supreme Court halts criminal indictment against state attorney general
The Louisiana Supreme Court on Friday halted a criminal case against Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican who was indicted Thursday on 16 counts of intimidation and malfeasance in a dispute over a law restructuring New Orleans courts.
Louisiana’s highest court has granted a stay of proceedings in the criminal indictment against state Attorney General Liz Murrill, a Republican who became the first woman to hold the office. The stay, issued early Friday, came just a day after a New Orleans grand jury handed down a 16-count indictment charging Murrill with intimidation and malfeasance. The charges stem from her efforts to pressure New Orleans officials who opposed a law passed by Republican legislators to overhaul the city’s court system.
Murrill quickly moved for a stay, and the Louisiana Supreme Court granted it, finding that she made “a compelling argument concerning the disturbing defects in the grand jury proceedings and in the trial court’s handling of those proceedings.” The order allows Murrill to file any necessary defensive pleadings, including motions to quash. It also noted that it does not prevent the filing of motions to recuse the special prosecutor or the trial judge.
The attorney general had called the charges “retaliatory, meritless and unconstitutional,” writing on X that she would continue “doing the job the people of Louisiana elected me to do.” Separately, Republican Governor Jeff Landry has promised a swift pardon, stating that Murrill would not have her reputation tarnished by a “kangaroo court.”
The indictment was announced amid secrecy. News media were escorted out of the courtroom after Judge Leon Roche ordered it sealed. WWL Louisiana, a Guardian reporting partner, protested the closure, and an investigative producer and the outlet’s attorney were handcuffed and removed from the courtroom and an outside hallway.
Political tensions between state Republicans and Democratic New Orleans officials have escalated over a law that eliminated a court clerk office won by Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly three decades in prison for a murder he was later exonerated of. Murrill had told eight New Orleans officials – including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams – that they could face removal for opposing the law. Duncan believes state officials were retaliating against him by eliminating the position he won with 68% of the vote. Murrill and Landry have long refused to acknowledge Duncan as exonerated.
The special prosecutor who obtained the indictment, former judge Laurie White, previously served as an attorney for Duncan, a fact raised in Murrill’s motion for a stay.
