⚖️ Louisiana Moves to Scrap Clerk Office: Why Duncan's win is at risk 👇

Calvin Duncan, a New Orleans criminal justice reform advocate who spent more than 28 years in prison before his conviction was vacated, won 68% of the vote in November 2025 to become clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court. Now, before his May 4 swearing-in, Louisiana Republicans are advancing SB 256, a bill that would eliminate the elected criminal clerk position and merge it with the civil clerk's office. The immediate effect is that the office Duncan won would disappear before he can begin his term.

Supporters of the bill say the move is about administration, not Duncan personally. Gov. Jeff Landry described it as a government-efficiency measure and part of a broader push to clean up a court system he says has been plagued by dysfunction and corruption. The bill's sponsor, Sen. Jay Morris, has argued that most other Louisiana parishes do not maintain separate elected civil and criminal clerks, so Orleans Parish should be brought into line with the rest of the state. Reporting on the bill also says backers point to an estimated annual state savings of about $27,300, though legislative analysis noted that the cost of combining the offices remains unknown.

The controversy is not just about restructuring, but about timing and scope. According to reporting, other judicial officials whose positions could be phased out later would be allowed to finish their terms, but Duncan would not. Morris also said lawmakers are trying to pass the measure quickly enough to stop Duncan from taking office at the start of his four-year term. That has fueled criticism from Duncan and Democratic lawmakers, who say voters are being disenfranchised after choosing him in a landslide.

The deeper dispute appears tied to both policy and politics. Duncan ran on reforming record access and court administration based on his own experience fighting for case files while incarcerated. He has also clashed publicly with Louisiana officials over his exoneration status, and Attorney General Liz Murrill previously warned him about calling himself exonerated. Republicans say the bill is structural reform. Critics say changing the office only after Duncan won makes that explanation harder to separate from the person who won it.

Do you think this looks more like court reform or changing the rules after an election?