Louisiana Republicans eliminate elected position days before an exoneree was set to take office

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https://apnews.com/article/new-orleans-criminal-clerk-calvin-duncan-exonerated-6a48a3d1ca81c91d42dc122dbed77f29

Louisiana Republicans eliminate elected position days before an exoneree was set to take office
By SARA CLINE and JACK BROOK
Updated 3:54 PM CDT, May 1, 2026

BATON ROUGE, La. (AP) — Louisiana Republicans have eliminated an elected position days before an exoneree who overwhelmingly won the New Orleans-based clerk seat was set to take office.

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry quietly signed legislation abolishing the longstanding Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court position into law Thursday, according to Louisiana Secretary of State spokesperson Trey Williams.

Republicans say wiping away the office is a consolidation effort meant to make the local judicial system more efficient and cut costs. But Democrats describe the change as government overreach — arguing that it infringes on a predominately Black parish’s decision at the polls.

Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly 30 years behind bars for a crime he did not commit, easily won election to the criminal court clerk position in November, beating the incumbent and earning more than two-thirds of the vote. He had been set to take office next Monday and has asked a federal judge to allow him to take office as scheduled.

“It’s a sad thing to see the state government repeating what happened to Black public officials during Reconstruction,” Duncan said. “They will do what they do, and I will do whatever I have to do to vindicate the voters of New Orleans and make sure that what happened to me never happens to anybody else.”

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