Louisiana Republicans abolish clerk's office won by exonerated man by 33 points

Calvin Duncan spent 28 years in prison for a murder he didn't commit before a Louisiana judge vacated his conviction in 2021. In November 2025, Duncan won 68 percent of the vote in New Orleans to become the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court, pledging to reform the very system that had failed him. Before he could take office, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry and the Republican-controlled Legislature moved to eliminate his position entirely. On April 8, 2026, the Louisiana Senate voted 25-11 to pass Senate Bill 256, authored by Sen. Jay Morris of Monroe, which merges the Orleans Parish criminal and civil clerk's offices into one position. The bill would abolish Duncan's office before his scheduled May 4 swearing-in. Critics, including the Louisiana ACLU, called it a racist power grab targeting a majority-Black city. The bill's author acknowledged the legislation was timed to Duncan's arrival, and officials admitted the savings from eliminating the position amount to approximately $27,300 per year.