Louisiana AG Liz Murrill indicted on 16 felony counts

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill was indicted on Thursday, July 2, 2026, on 16 felony counts related to accusations she threatened New Orleans officials during a dispute over a state-mandated court restructuring. A grand jury in Orleans Parish charged the Republican attorney general with eight counts of public intimidation and eight counts of malfeasance in office. Her bond was set at $400,000.

The indictment stems from letters Murrill sent in May to Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, and several City Council members. The letters warned the officials they could face removal from office under Louisiana's "usurper laws" for their actions following a state law that abolished the elected position of Orleans Parish criminal court clerk and consolidated its duties with the civil clerk's office. Murrill stated at the time that the laws carried serious consequences and that she would enforce them.

The conflict centers on the elected position won last year by Calvin Duncan, a man who served 28 years in prison before his murder conviction was vacated in 2021. The state law, enacted at the urging of Republican Governor Jeff Landry, eliminated the criminal clerk's...