Louisiana Republicans abolished a local office to prevent an exonerated man they had sought to keep imprisoned from taking office:
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.
And needless to say Landry could not me more excited about Pitchfork Sam Alito’s nullification of the Voting Rights Act:
Louisiana has suspended its upcoming primaries for the U.S. House, following Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that the state’s congressional map is an “unconstitutional racial gerrymander.”
The rest of Louisiana’s primaries, including for U.S. Senate, will proceed as scheduled, with early voting starting Saturday and the primary date set for May 16.
It’s unclear when the House races will continue. In an executive order, Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, says the contests are suspended “until July 15, 2026 or until such time as determined by the Legislature.”