New Orleans candidate’s vacated murder conviction disputed
Calvin Duncan, a New Orleans candidate for clerk of criminal court whose 1981 murder conviction was vacated in 2021, is facing renewed public scrutiny as Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill and the incumbent clerk publicly challenge whether his vacatur amounts to an exoneration. Duncan — who spent roughly three decades in prison, later earned a law degree, and sought $330,000 in state compensation — says he was cleared after new evidence showed police lies; Murrill released a letter accusing him of misrepresentation and threatened legal action tied to his compensation claim and ability to practice law. The dispute has become a flashpoint in a local election happening days after the reporting.
Politics
Legal
📌 Key Facts
- A judge vacated Calvin Duncan’s 1981 murder conviction in 2021 and prosecutors dismissed the charges under a finding of "factual innocence."
- Duncan sought $330,000 in state compensation for wrongful conviction; he later dropped that claim amid threats from the state AG to contest his law‑license ambitions.
- Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill publicly released a letter less than two weeks before the October 2025 municipal election accusing Duncan of "gross misrepresentation," and incumbent clerk Darren Lombard has called him a murderer in campaign ads and debates.