Louisiana Supreme Court Halts Indictment Against Attorney General

Louisiana’s Supreme Court has put a hold on the indictment against the state’s Republican attorney general, Liz Murrill, citing “compelling” arguments about “disturbing defects” in the grand jury proceedings that led to the charges. On Thursday, a grand jury handed up a 16-count indictment against Ms. Murrill, charging her with eight counts of intimidation and eight counts of malfeasance in office. The indictment comes amid a political battle between Democratic leaders at New Orleans and Republican state leaders.The drama began when Governor Jeff Landry signed into law a bill that combined the offices of criminal and civil clerks. The law eliminated a clerk position that had been won by a New Orleans man who spent three decades in prison before having his murder conviction vacated, Calvin Duncan. It was signed into law days before Mr. Duncan was slated to take office. Republicans argued that combining the clerk jobs would make the court system more efficient but New Orleans leaders said that state officials were improperly interfering with matters in the Democratic stronghold. They named an interim clerk to fill the consolidated clerk position and scheduled a special election that could give Mr. Duncan a chance to win the new position. In response, Ms. Murrill sent a letter to Mayor Helena Moreno of New Orleans; the district attorney, Jason Williams; and seven New Orleans city council members, accusing them of circumventing the new law and threatening to imprison the interim clerk. Ms. Murrill said that New Orleans leaders “erroneous[ly]” determined that the decision to combine the court clerk offices created a new position to be filled. In reality, she said, the merger put the combined offices under the clerk of court for the parish of Orleans, a position currently held by Chelsey Richard Napoleon.Ms. Murrill wrote that there was “no vacancy” for the city council to fill and accused city leaders of violating usurper laws. She also said the city leaders could lose their positions. Louisiana law prohibits public intimidation and retaliation, which it describes as “violence, force, extortionate threats, or true threats” against a public official “with the intent to influence his conduct in relation to his position, employment, or duty.”After the indictment, which alleged that Ms. Murill’s letters violated the public intimidation law, a judge issued an arrest warrant and set bond at $400,000. In a statement after the indictment was handed up, Ms. Murrill attacked the “corrupt” and “unconstitutional” proceedings.“After confidential information was illegally leaked to members of the press by the grand jury or the improperly appointed, unqualified special prosecutor, there are now indications that the court handcuffed and locked out members of the media — and threatened them with contempt — in clear violation of Louisiana law,” Ms. Murrill said. A Louisiana news site, NOLA, reported, “Reporters were threatened with arrest if they entered the courthouse while the indictment was handed up. At least one reporter was handcuffed by sheriff’s deputies.” The outlet also noted that the special prosecutor, Laurie White, once represented Mr. Duncan. Early Friday, the Louisiana Supreme Court granted a stay of the indictment, saying that Ms. Murrill “makes a compelling argument concerning the disturbing defects in the grand jury proceedings and in the trial court’s handling of those proceedings.”Mr. Landry called the grand jury a “kangaroo grand jury” and said Ms. Murrill would not have to “worry about having her reputation tarnished” by the charges. He promised to pardon her “as fast as the law allows.”After the state’s high court granted a stay, Mr. Landry thanked the judges for “halting this circus.”“Leaking information to the press, arresting other members of the press, the disclosure of confidential information by the special prosecutor, ex parte communication to influence grand jury members, are all disturbing allegations,’ Mr. Landry said. The governor added that he had directed the State Police to investigate the “alleged improprieties of this grand jury and those who ran it.”Ms. Murrill said she was “grateful” for the court’s decision to grant the stay and said she will file a motion to dismiss the charges.

Louisiana Supreme Court Halts Indictment Against Attorney General

Louisiana Supreme Court Halts Indictment Against Attorney General

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