路易斯安那州特别检察官劳丽·怀特于周三撤销了对该州检察长利兹·默瑞尔的所有重罪指控 [1]。默瑞尔曾于7月2日因16项指控被起诉 [1]。
路易斯安那最高法院曾表示，地方法院和特别检察官未遵循程序，导致该案被搁置 [1]。新奥尔良地方检察官、市长和五名市议员随后联名致函敦促撤销此案，最终指控被驳回 [1]。
默瑞尔在声明中表示："这个案件永远不应该被启动，因为没有犯罪" [1]。共和党州长杰夫·兰德里承诺迅速赦免 [1]。
这起案件源于围绕法院改革的争议。新法律取消了由服刑近30年后获释的卡尔文·邓肯赢得的法院书记官职位 [1]。默瑞尔曾致函警告地方官员，因违反州"篡权"法律可能丧失职位，因此被指控威胁反对共和党领导的法院改革的新奥尔良官员的职位 [1]。
Special Prosecutor Laurie White withdrew all felony criminal charges against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill on Wednesday. [1] Murrill had been indicted on 16 counts on July 2 for allegedly threatening the job security of New Orleans officials who opposed a court reform measure backed by Republicans. [1]
The Louisiana Supreme Court had previously determined that the trial court and special prosecutor failed to follow proper procedures, leading to the case being shelved. [1] Following the dismissal of charges, Murrill stated that "this case should never have been brought because there was no crime." [1]
The dispute centered on a new law that eliminated a court clerk position previously won by Calvin Duncan, who had been incarcerated for nearly 30 years before his release. [1] Murrill had sent letters to local officials warning them that they could lose their positions for violating the state's "usurpation of power" law. [1]
Republican Governor Jeff Landry pledged to issue a swift pardon. [1] New Orleans District Attorney, the city's mayor, and five city council members had urged dismissal of the case, ultimately contributing to the charges being dropped. [1]