Louisiana Republicans move to eliminate court office won by exonerated man

Calvin Duncan became criminal court clerk after 28 years for murder he didn’t commit – now office may be shut down A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans promising to fix a judicial system that failed him. Now, Louisiana’s governor, Jeff Landry, and the Republican-controlled state legislature are racing to eliminate his job before he can be sworn in. Calvin Duncan won 68% of the vote last November to become the Orleans parish clerk of criminal court after pledging to reform the justice system based on his own experience fighting to access court records while in maximum security prison. Duncan rebuilt his life, in part by running for and winning the clerk’s office. But Louisiana state senate Republicans on Wednesday voted to scrap Duncan’s new job as part of a broader effort to streamline the judiciary in New Orleans, a Democratic hub with a predominantly Black electorate. The state legislature is largely Republican and white – and the deeply red state has been leading efforts to gut the Voting Rights Act. Duncan’s swearing-in is scheduled for 4 May. He told the Associated Press he believes he’s being retaliated against by