Legislature passes plan to consolidate Orleans Parish court clerk offices after heated debate

By AnnMarie Bedard

Contributing Writer

 (LSU Manship News Service)  — Calvin Duncan, who beat incumbent Darren Lombard in the Orleans Parish Criminal Court clerk race in November, was sworn into office on Tuesday,  April 21, on the steps of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

Two days later, on Thursday, April 23, the Louisiana House voted 63-28 to eliminate the New Orleans clerk of criminal court position.

After winning 68 percent of the vote, the electorate’s choice will be unable to take over the job as planned on  May 4 if the measure is signed into law by Gov. Jeff Landry, who has supported the proposal.   

Duncan, who was wrongfully convicted and  spent  years  in  prison  before  being released and later exonerated, worked as a “prison lawyer” during his incarceration and later graduated from law school.

Citing his struggle to access his own legal records, Duncan ran and won the election for Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court, unseating the incumbent, Darren Lombard.

The legislation, authored by Sen. Jay Morris, R-West Monroe, targeted Orleans as the only Louisiana parish with separate civil and criminal court clerks.

Morris had said that the bill would save the state money by consolidating the offices.

Members of the Legislative Black Caucus said they felt disrespected by what they described as an overreach.

“It is not right for a member from West Monroe to tell New Orleans what to do in their elections,” said Rep. Denise Marcelle, D-Baton Rouge.

Lawmakers noted it is rare for the legislature to pass a bill strongly opposed by representatives from the affected district.

“This deteriorates democracy,” opponents said during more than two hours of debate, as Black Caucus members stood alongside New Orleans representatives on the House floor to urge colleagues to reject the bill.

They cited concerns about the state constitution and the precedent of removing an elected official before the completion of a term.

Rep. Dixon McMakin, who handled Morris’ bill in the House, said the proposal is intended to align New Orleans with the rest of the state.

“We have to do something the legislatures before us should have done,” McMakin said.

Rep. Kyle Green Jr., D-Marrero, proposed an amendment that would allow Duncan to serve out his term before the merger, but the measure was not adopted.

Under the bill, employees in Duncan’s office would receive job protection for one year and transition to a single, unified clerk structure.

With the governor’s support, Morris and McMakin also have bills to eliminate three criminal court judges in Orleans Parish.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, a close ally of the governor’s, supported Duncan’s opponent in the Orleans clerk race. During the campaign, she questioned whether Duncan had technically been exonerated, though there is consensus among criminal law practitioners that his name has been cleared. 

Duncan, told those attending his swearing-in ceremony, “Regardless of what they do in Baton Rouge, I hope that what happened to me, that they would make sure what happened to me would never happen to nobody in life.”

This article originally published in the April 27, 2026 print edition of The Louisiana Weekly newspaper.