Louisiana's Republican-controlled Legislature has voted to eliminate the Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court position, which Calvin Duncan won in a landslide election last November. Duncan, who was exonerated after nearly 30 years in prison, is set to be sworn in on May 4 but now faces the prospect of losing the job he campaigned for. The move comes amid broader GOP efforts to streamline the judiciary in New Orleans, a Democratic stronghold with a predominantly Black electorate.
Duncan, a Democrat, won 68% of the vote, promising to reform the justice system based on his own experiences fighting for access to court records while incarcerated. Republicans argue the elimination is part of a broader effort to improve government efficiency, while Duncan and his supporters see it as retaliation. He told lawmakers the bill disenfranchises voters who elected him.
The wrongful conviction that landed Duncan in prison stemmed from the 1981 murder of David Yeager. In 2011, prosecutors offered him a plea deal to reduce his sentence to time served, which he accepted. His name is listed on the National Registry of Exonerations, but Louisiana officials have long denied his innocence, according to Duncan.
The state Legislature, which is largely Republican and white, has been leading efforts to weaken the Voting Rights Act. Duncan's case has drawn attention to broader issues of racial and political representation in Louisiana's justice system.