A special prosecutor in Louisiana has dismissed criminal charges against Attorney General Liz Murrill after local officials requested the action. The charges stemmed from allegations that Murrill intimidated New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, retired judge Calvin Johnson, and five City Council members through letters sent in May. A grand jury had indicted her on 16 felony counts earlier this month.
Murrill stated that the case should not have been initiated, asserting that no crime occurred. The charges were dropped after Moreno and the council members expressed in a letter that they were not intimidated by Murrill's actions. Williams and Johnson also sent letters urging the dismissal of the case.
The situation escalated in May when the state legislature passed a law reforming the court system, which Murrill supported. This law consolidated the positions of civil and criminal court clerks, preventing Calvin Duncan from assuming office. Murrill accused local officials of attempting to bypass the law by appointing an interim clerk and scheduling an election for a permanent officeholder.
Murrill had threatened to jail Johnson if he performed any clerk duties and sent letters to city officials suggesting that Governor Jeff Landry could remove them from office if they continued to oppose the law. Following her indictment, Landry promised to pardon Murrill if convicted. The Louisiana Supreme Court intervened, putting a stay on the indictment and recalling a warrant for her arrest, citing questionable circumstances surrounding the grand jury proceedings.