Louisiana high court pauses indictment of attorney general Liz Murrill

A prosecution stopped before arraignment

The Louisiana Supreme Court early Friday froze the criminal case against Republican Attorney General Liz Murrill, hours after an Orleans Parish grand jury returned a 16-count felony indictment tied to letters she sent New Orleans officials in May.nola +1 The charges included eight counts of public intimidation and eight counts of malfeasance in office, with bond initially set at $400,000 across the counts.wdsu

The stay does not dismiss the case, but it gives Murrill room to seek to quash the indictment. In an unsigned order, the justices said she had made a compelling argument that the grand jury process and trial-court handling suffered from serious defects; Murrill called the case a political attack and said dismissal motions would follow.nola +1

The fight began with New Orleans courts

The indictment grew out of a state law that combined New Orleans' criminal and civil clerk offices, a move that prevented Calvin Duncan, the elected criminal court clerk, from taking that office.wdsu +1 After city leaders moved to appoint an interim clerk and call a special election, Murrill sent letters warning Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams and five City Council members that they could risk removal from office if they recognized what she viewed as an unlawful position.wdsu +1

Special prosecutor Laurie White told reporters the investigation centered on whether elected officials in New Orleans had been threatened or intimidated by those letters.lailluminator Murrill has argued that she was enforcing state law, while Gov. Jeff Landry said Friday that she was trying to uphold her oath and called the indictment a political witch hunt.wwltv

Procedure now becomes the main battleground

The high court's order cited possible conflicts involving White, including her previous representation of Duncan and the attorney general office's role defending her in separate litigation.nola +1 The justices also criticized the handling of the grand jury return, after media outlets reported that reporters were removed, and two WWL Louisiana representatives were handcuffed while challenging the closure of the courtroom.nola +1

Two justices dissented from the emergency intervention. Justice John Guidry wrote that Murrill was receiving preferential treatment unavailable to ordinary defendants, while Chief Justice John Weimer warned that lower courts are not only for people without power or prestige.nola The case now shifts to expected motions over dismissal, recusal and whether the indictment can survive the procedural challenges the state's highest court has already flagged.nytimes +1