Liz Murrill indicted: Louisiana AG faces 16 felony counts
An Orleans Parish grand jury indicted Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on July 2, 2026, on 16 felony counts after she sent letters threatening to remove New Orleans officials from office. Murrill calls the charges retaliatory and meritless; Governor Jeff Landry pledged to pardon her.
The case thrusts a sitting statewide prosecutor into the role of criminal defendant and escalates a bitter fight between Republican state leaders and Democratic officials in New Orleans over how local courts are run. For more offbeat political clashes, see our Bizarre World coverage.
Key Takeaways
- Murrill faces eight counts of malfeasance in office and eight counts of public intimidation.
- Charges stem from May letters to Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, Judge Calvin Johnson, and five city council members.
- Judge Leon Roche set bond at $400,000 and issued an arrest warrant.
- Landry vowed to pardon Murrill and ordered Louisiana State Police to investigate the grand jury.
- West Baton Rouge District Attorney Tony Clayton called the situation a constitutional crisis.
Why was Liz Murrill indicted?
According to FOX 8 Live, a grand jury returned a true bill on July 2. Special prosecutor Laurie White confirmed the charges to reporters outside Orleans Criminal District Courthouse, saying the indictment followed an investigation into letters Murrill sent in May.
The dispute centers on a state law backed by Murrill and Landry that combined New Orleans criminal and civil court clerk offices. The law eliminated the criminal court clerk position after Calvin Duncan, who spent decades in prison before his wrongful conviction, won election to the post with 68% of the vote.
What did Murrill's letters threaten?
Murrill wrote to eight New Orleans officials warning they had jeopardized their elected positions by opposing the clerk consolidation. She cited Louisiana usurper statutes and said she would take steps to remove them from office if they held a special election or appointed an interim clerk.
Mayor Moreno posted a defiant response on social media after receiving the letter in May. Murrill later published the letters on the attorney general's website. Grand jurors relied on the nearly identical letters as evidence, according to reporting on the indictment.
How are Republican leaders responding?
Murrill called the indictment unprecedented, retaliatory, meritless, and unconstitutional. She accused the special prosecutor and grand jury of leaking confidential information and criticized the court for locking out media during the proceeding.
Landry posted on X that Murrill would not be tarnished by a kangaroo grand jury or Orleans kangaroo court, pledging to pardon her as fast as the law allows. He later ordered State Police to investigate alleged improprieties involving the grand jury.
What are critics and allies saying?
Special prosecutor White responded to Landry's pardon pledge by saying, 'Let's get her convicted, and then he can pardon her.' Moreno said the matter is for the courts.
West Baton Rouge DA Tony Clayton told WAFB the situation reached constitutional crisis level. He said indicting a sitting attorney general over a letter misapplied the law, adding that Murrill has every right to enforce laws and warn officials about their conduct.
Murrill's attorney, Laura Rodrigue Cannizzaro, said outside the courthouse that the indictment is unlikely to hold up given information leaked to journalists before charges were filed. The political and legal fight over New Orleans courts is far from over.