Louisiana’s Legislature Seeks to Eliminate Exonerated Man’s Job

Louisiana’s GOP-led legislature is trying to eliminate a position that was set to be filled by a recently elected exonerated man.

Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly 30 years in prison before being exonerated, won 68% of the vote in New Orleans last November to become Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court. He pledged reforms shaped by his experience seeking court records while incarcerated, AP News reports.

While New Orleans is a Democratic-leaning city with a predominantly Black electorate, it sits within a state legislature that is largely Republican and white. Duncan, 62, rebuilt his life, in part by running for and winning the clerk’s office. But Gov. Jeff Landry and Louisiana’s GOP-controlled legislature are moving to eliminate the position before he gets sworn in on May 4.

Louisiana’s full Senate voted 25–11 to approve Senate Bill 256, a measure to merge the Orleans Parish civil and criminal clerk offices into one, effectively eliminating the position set for Duncan. Republicans say the move is about government efficiency and isn’t personal. But Duncan argues it’s retaliation by Louisiana officials who long denied his innocence, despite his inclusion in the National Registry of Exonerations.

“The citizens of New Orleans overwhelmingly said: ‘I want to give this person a chance, he can make a difference,’” Duncan told lawmakers during a March committee hearing. “What this bill does is say: ‘Thank you, but you wasted your time.’ It disenfranchises everybody.”

Senate Bill 256 is part of a broader push by Sen. Jay Morris to overhaul New Orleans courts, including cutting judgeships and eliminating the clerk role set for Duncan. Morris said the bill would align Orleans Parish with the rest of the state by merging the civil and criminal clerk offices for efficiency and acknowledged that the timing coincides with Duncan’s upcoming term.

Duncan argues the merger is misguided since the two offices handle distinct records and responsibilities.

“The civil district court clerk doesn’t have a clue, doesn’t have a clue on how the records are supposed to be preserved, and how to preserve evidence,” Duncan said. “She has no clue how that works. Victims of crime will be affected by this.”

Duncan helped drive a 2020 U.S. Supreme Court decision ending nonunanimous jury convictions and founded a nonprofit to expand incarcerated people’s access to the courts. He has called his election clerk the culmination of his life’s work.

Senate Bill 256 is expected to pass the GOP-controlled House and be signed by Landry, taking effect immediately.

“I have never seen something so barbaric,” Sen. Royce Duplessis, a Democrat representing New Orleans, said on the Senate floor. “I understand politics, and I know you all are going to vote how you are going to vote. But just know, when we are all done here, history has a record.”

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