US EditionCalvin Duncan Allowed to Take Office, TRO Granted
The ruling keeps clerk-elect Calvin Duncan on track to take office after he won election with 68% of the vote.
- On Monday, May 4, 2026, Calvin Duncan assumed office as Orleans Parish Criminal District Court clerk after U.S. District Judge John deGravelles issued a temporary restraining order blocking a state law that sought to eliminate his position.
- Governor Jeff Landry signed Act 15 into law on April 30, 2026, which aimed to consolidate the criminal clerk's office with the Civil District Court Clerk's office, effectively nullifying the votes of nearly 40,000 residents who elected Duncan.
- DeGravelles declared the law "unconstitutional" because it replaced an elected position with an appointee, violating due process; Duncan, an exonerated prisoner elected with 68% of the vote, maintains the order protects voters' rights.
- The state appealed the decision to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit on Monday, requesting a temporary halt to the order, while the initial federal restraining order remains in effect for 14 days.
- Critics describe the legislative effort to bypass the election of a progressive Democrat as an "unconstitutional campaign" in retaliation for his rhetoric, highlighting tensions between New Orleans voters and the GOP-controlled state legislature.
27 Articles
27 Articles
Louisiana Exoneree Takes Office. Then a Court Rules
A Louisiana man who spent decades in prison on a wrongful conviction briefly began work Monday overseeing the criminal court in New Orleans after a judge blocked the state from eliminating the position. Yet Calvin Duncan's day soon got messy, the AP reports: A higher court stepped in about 9:...
Calvin Duncan sues state over bill eliminating clerk’s office
By Charles Maldonado Contributing Writer (Veritenews.org) – Calvin Duncan, the exonerated prisoner-turned-lawyer who scored a surprise victory in the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court clerk’s race last year, filed a federal suit against the state following the state Legislature’s passage of a bill that will eliminate the office to which he was elected. In the civil rights suit, filed Thursday (April 30) in Baton Rouge federal court after th…
Louisiana Illuminator
Federal courts clash over state law displacing Orleans clerk of court
Calvin Duncan is sworn in as Clerk of Criminal Court at Orleans Parish Criminal District Court on April 21, 2026. (Photo by Christiana Botic/Verite News and Catchlight Local/Report for America)Just hours after a federal judge halted a new state law to eliminate the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court’s office, an appellate court will allow the measure to take effect. Caught in the court chaos is Calvin Duncan, who officially began work Monday…
The Fifth Circuit Has Already Issued A Stay On This Ridiculous Ruling In The NOLA Criminal Clerk Case
There are no worthwhile federal judges working in the Middle District of Louisiana at present. That’s actually been true for quite a while – the Western District of Louisiana is full of excellent judges and there are some good ones (though it’s a bit of a mixed bag) in the Eastern District, but the Middle […] The post The Fifth Circuit Has Already Issued A Stay On This Ridiculous Ruling In The NOLA Criminal Clerk Case appeared first on The Hayri…
The Toronto Star
Louisiana exoneree assumes elected clerk office after federal judge blocks law eliminating position
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana man who spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction began work Monday overseeing the criminal court in New Orleans after a judge temporarily
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