Louisiana Exoneree Takes Office. Then a Court Rules

Key Points:

• Calvin Duncan, a Louisiana man wrongfully convicted for decades, briefly began serving as Orleans Parish criminal court clerk after winning 68% of the vote, but his position was immediately challenged by the state.
• Republican Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-controlled legislature passed a law eliminating the clerk position days before Duncan's term began, transferring duties to an appointed official.
• US District Judge John deGravelles blocked the law, ruling it unconstitutional to replace an elected office with a political appointee, but the 5th US Circuit Court of Appeals later stayed this decision at the state's request.
• The ACLU of Louisiana vows to continue legal efforts to uphold Duncan's elected term, arguing it cannot be cut short under the state constitution, highlighting concerns over voter disenfranchisement in predominantly Black New Orleans.
• Civil rights advocates view the case as indicative of broader attempts to undermine minority voting rights following the Supreme Court's rollback of key Voting Rights Act protections.