BREAKING: Red State Attorney General Indicted On 16 Felony Counts

An Orleans Parish grand jury indicted Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on July 2, 2026, on 16 felony counts.

The charges break down into eight counts of public intimidation and eight counts of malfeasance in office.

A $400,000 bond was set, and Murrill called the case retaliatory, meritless, and unconstitutional.

Less than 24 hours later, the Louisiana Supreme Court stepped in and stayed the proceedings.

Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill indicted on 16 felony counts | Click on the image to read the full story https://t.co/IcamxtDkBM

— wdsu (@wdsu) July 3, 2026

The indictment traces back to letters Murrill sent in May to New Orleans officials during a fight over control of the city’s court system.

The Louisiana Legislature moved to eliminate the city’s criminal clerk of court position and consolidate it with the civil clerk position.

The New Orleans City Council pushed back by voting to appoint an interim clerk and call a special election.

Murrill warned those officials that their actions could carry serious legal consequences. That warning is now the basis for eight public intimidation counts.

Fox 8 reported the indictment covers letters Murrill sent to Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, and multiple city councilmembers over the court-clerk consolidation law and the city’s resistance to it.

The station reported the felony split: eight counts of public intimidation and eight counts of malfeasance in office tied to those official letters.

It also cited official records showing a $400,000 bond, while laying out the background fight over the city council’s effort to install an interim clerk and call a special election.

Governor Jeff Landry moved quickly after the indictment. Fox 8 reported he said he would pardon Murrill as fast as the law allows and described the proceedings as an Orleans kangaroo court.

Landry also ordered the Louisiana State Police to investigate alleged improprieties tied to the grand jury process.

Murrill moved just as fast. She filed an emergency stay motion with the Louisiana Supreme Court on July 3 and said the truth was coming out.

I have filed an emergency stay motion with the Louisiana Supreme Court. The truth is coming out. pic.twitter.com/XTGGtVrQnx

— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) July 3, 2026

Then the state’s highest court delivered the twist.

The Louisiana Supreme Court issued a stay in State of Louisiana v. Elizabeth Baker Murrill, No. 2026-KD-00865, after Murrill’s emergency application and used blunt language about how the case was built from the start in Orleans Parish criminal court.

The order says Murrill made a compelling argument concerning disturbing defects in the grand jury proceedings and in the trial court’s handling of them, including the way the return was handled.

The court said the indictment appears to turn the law on its head and to flow from extraordinary procedural defects and improprieties.

The order points to public accounts that reporters were handcuffed and removed from proceedings that should have been held in open court under Louisiana law.

It also flags possible conflicts involving special prosecutor Laurie White, including that White had previously represented Calvin Duncan and that Murrill’s office was defending White in a sexual harassment suit.

The court found Murrill has considerable support for the view that she is likely to succeed on a motion to quash, on either legal grounds or procedural irregularities.

The order stays the matter and remands it so Murrill can file defensive pleadings, including motions to quash, while allowing responses and recusal motions.

The indictment is still alive, but frozen. The next fight is over whether it survives at all.

I’m grateful to the Louisiana Supreme Court for swiftly issuing a stay in this matter. The constitution and laws of Louisiana impose a wide swath of duties on the Attorney General. I will continue to carry out those duties to the best of my ability. This matter is not over. I… pic.twitter.com/qSpbn4STfH

— Attorney General Liz Murrill (@AGLizMurrill) July 3, 2026

ADVERTISEMENT

AP framed the broader clash around the Republican-backed court overhaul in New Orleans and the tension between Republican state leadership and Democratic officials in the city over control of local courts and offices, including the clerk fight.

The report said the charges accused Murrill of threatening the jobs of New Orleans officials who opposed the court changes.

AP also reported that the Louisiana Supreme Court halted the criminal case after finding problems with the process surrounding the indictment, including media access issues and conflict questions involving the special prosecutor’s role.

The same report noted Landry’s defense of Murrill and his vow to pardon her if necessary, putting the indictment squarely inside a larger state-versus-New-Orleans political fight.

Murrill is treating the stay as an opening move, with dismissal motions still ahead.

She thanked the court, said she would keep doing her job, and made clear she intends to seek dismissal.

A red-state attorney general was charged with 16 felonies over letters she sent during a court-power fight. Within a day, the state’s highest court looked at the record and hit pause.

Now Murrill gets her shot to knock the whole thing down.