Special Prosecutor Drops Felony Charges Against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill

BATON ROUGE, La. (BAMM Network) — All felony criminal charges against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill have been dismissed, ending—for now—a politically charged case that underscored growing tensions between Republican state leaders and Democratic officials in New Orleans.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill speaks with attendees during an election night watch party for U.S. Senate candidate Rep. Julia Letlow, R-La., May 16, 2026, in Baton Rouge, La. (AP Photo/Matthew Hinton, File)

Special Prosecutor Laurie White on Wednesday dismissed the 16-count indictment that accused Murrill of intimidation and malfeasance in office. The charges stemmed from allegations that Murrill unlawfully threatened New Orleans elected officials after they challenged a Republican-backed overhaul of the city's court system.

"What I did was not a crime, it was never a crime," Murrill said after the charges were dropped. "I think this was a malicious prosecution."

The indictment, handed down July 2 by an Orleans Parish grand jury, alleged Murrill improperly warned New Orleans leaders they could lose their offices if they proceeded with a special election tied to changes in the city's court clerk positions. The dispute centered on a new state law that abolished one elected clerk's office and merged it with another—a move supporters argued would improve efficiency but critics said undermined local voters and disproportionately affected Calvin Duncan, a formerly incarcerated man who had won election to the now-eliminated office.

Mayor Helena Moreno and Louisiana AG Liz Murrill. Photos: Erika Goldring/Getty; Chris Graythen/Getty

Just one day after the indictment, the Louisiana Supreme Court halted the prosecution, citing significant procedural concerns surrounding the grand jury process. In its order, the court questioned both the legal basis of the intimidation charges and the manner in which the indictment was obtained, signaling that Murrill was likely to succeed in having the case dismissed.

White formally dropped the charges one day after New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams and five City Council members urged her to dismiss the case.

In a joint letter, the officials wrote that while Murrill's correspondence "contained threatening language directed toward public officials," they "never believed those threats could lawfully or practically be carried out" and said they had continued serving the public "without hesitation."

Murrill maintained that her letters merely explained existing Louisiana law.

New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno and other city leaders have asked a special prosecutor to dismiss criminal charges against Attorney General Liz Murrill. (Photo by Robert Stewart/Verite News)

"I didn't write that law," she said. "The Legislature wrote that law. I just explained it to them."

The case became one of the latest flashpoints in an ongoing political struggle between Louisiana's Republican-controlled state government and Democratic leadership in New Orleans over local governance, elections and judicial restructuring. Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, had sharply criticized the indictment from the outset, calling it politically motivated and previously vowing to pardon Murrill if necessary. He also renewed calls for federal authorities to review how the prosecution unfolded.