Key Facts

• Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill was indicted on charges including intimidation and malfeasance.
• The state Supreme Court halted the case, citing flaws in the indictment process.
• The court noted procedural errors and conflicts of interest involving the special prosecutor Laurie White.
• Laurie White is defended by the attorney general’s office in a separate sexual harassment lawsuit, creating a possible conflict.
• The intimidation charge was considered weak because the law requires threats to be unlawful or to include harm or death.
• The case relates to a dispute over changes to New Orleans criminal court clerk positions.
• Calvin Duncan, a man who was exonerated after wrongful conviction, was elected to the clerk position that was later abolished.
• Murrill and other Republicans do not recognize Duncan’s innocence, contributing to tensions between state Republicans and New Orleans Democrats.