Louisiana AG Liz Murrill indicted on intimidation charges (72 chars)

A New Orleans grand jury on Thursday indicted Republican Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on charges including intimidation and abuse, accusing the state’s top law enforcement official of threatening local officials during a high-profile political dispute over the Orleans Parish criminal court clerkship.

The 16-count indictment accuses Louisiana’s first female attorney general of threatening to remove local officials from office if they continued actions she believed violated state law.

Assistant District Attorney Laurie White, who is prosecuting the case, said Thursday she expected the case to be “very simple” and “very open and shut.”

ALLEGED SPLC CHIEF ENCOUNTERED AT HOME ABOUT SECRET PAYMENTS TO KKK MEMBERS

In his post about X, Murrill called the indictment “retaliatory, meritless, and unconstitutional” and said he would immediately appeal to the Louisiana Supreme Court.

“I will not back down,” Murrill wrote. “I will continue to enforce the law, fight corruption, and do the job the people of Louisiana elected me to do.”

Republican Gov. Jeff Landry also defended Murrill, saying he would pardon Murrill “to the full extent of the law.”

NEW MEXICO GOVERNOR SEEKS FEDERAL DAMAGES AFTER ACCUSING DEA OF Fueling THE STATE’S FENTANYL CRISIS

Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry defended Attorney General Liz Murrill following her impeachment and promised to pardon her “as soon as the law allows.” (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, file)

Landry said Murrill “won’t have to worry about his reputation being tarnished by this kangaroo grand jury or the Orleans Kangaroo court.”

“The criminal justice system is the best circus in Orleans and we will not allow any of this!” he added.

In a follow-up post, Landry called for an investigation of the grand jury hearings.

NEW MEXICO AG STARTED A CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION OF DEA OVER ALLEGATIONS THAT AGENTS ALLOWED THE TRANSPORTATION OF FENTANYL

Louisiana Attorney Liz Murrill is surrounded by law enforcement leaders at a news conference in Ruston on December 18, 2025. (Greg Hilburn/USA Today Network via Imagn Images)

“Based on the information contained in @AGLizMurrill’s motion, I am ordering the State Police to immediately begin investigating the alleged improprieties of this grand jury and those directing it!”

The indictment stems from a months-long dispute between state leaders and New Orleans officials over the Orleans Parish criminal court clerk’s office.

At Landry’s urging, Louisiana lawmakers approved a Republican-backed revision that eliminated the elected Orleans Parish criminal court clerk position after Calvin Duncan, who spent nearly three decades in prison before his conviction was overturned, won the job. The law delegated the duties of that position to the church’s civil court clerk, preventing Duncan from assuming the office.

After New Orleans officials tried to install Duncan or create a way for him to take over, Murrill warned they could face removal under Louisiana’s “usurper” laws, which prohibit support for an unauthorized office holder. Prosecutors claim these warnings formed the basis of the charges against him.

“We are very concerned that elected officials in New Orleans are not intimidated or threatened by letter or otherwise,” White told reporters after the indictment was announced. he said.

Murrill’s bond was set at $400,000 Thursday, according to court records.

CLICK TO DOWNLOAD FOX NEWS APPLICATION

Special prosecutor Laurie White announces the indictment of Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill outside the Orleans Criminal District Court building in New Orleans on Thursday, July 2, 2026. (New Orleans Advocate via Sophia Germer/The Times-Picayune/AP)

Fox News Digital has reached out to Murrill’s office for additional comment.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.