Gov. Jeff Landry Signs Law Blocking Ex-Prisoner Calvin Duncan From Taking Office
The New York Times • • nation
Key Points:
- Calvin Duncan, an exonerated man who won the New Orleans criminal court clerk election last year, has been blocked from taking office after Louisiana's governor signed a law abolishing the position.
- Duncan spent 28 years in prison for murder before his release in 2011, during which he educated himself on criminal law to assist with wrongful convictions and sentence reductions.
- The new law, signed by Gov. Jeff Landry, merges the criminal clerk’s duties with the civil clerk’s office as part of a judicial system overhaul aimed at cost savings and standardization across Louisiana parishes.
- Duncan filed a federal lawsuit claiming the legislation was a retaliatory act orchestrated by Republican leaders due to his outspoken criticism of systemic racial injustices in Orleans' criminal legal system.
