Louisiana Supreme Court stays criminal proceedings against attorney general

The Louisiana Supreme Court has stayed criminal proceedings against Attorney General Liz Murrill, freezing a politically charged case one day after a New Orleans grand jury indicted her on 16 counts.

The stay came on July 3, 2026, after AP reported the previous day that the grand jury had returned the indictment. The charges include intimidation and malfeasance. The court’s action pauses the case while the underlying legal fight continues.

What the court did

According to the reporting, the state’s highest court said there were serious procedural defects in the grand jury process and in the trial court’s handling of the case. Those problems were serious enough for the justices to immediately halt the proceedings.

The stay does not appear to end the prosecution. Instead, it gives Murrill and her lawyers room to pursue additional defensive motions, including attempts to quash the indictment and requests for recusals.

How the case got here

The indictment stems from a broader dispute over changes to New Orleans courts and clerk offices. AP reported that Murrill was accused of threatening New Orleans officials who opposed a Republican-led overhaul of local court clerk positions.

The case is tied to a state law that abolished a court clerk position won by Calvin Duncan, who had previously been exonerated after decades in prison. That detail has made the dispute more politically and symbolically charged, because it sits at the intersection of criminal justice reform, local court control and state politics.

The indictment itself came on July 2, and the stay followed on July 3. That quick sequence turned a local political fight into an urgent legal test for the state’s top court.

The broader political fight

The case is also part of a larger conflict over control of New Orleans courts and local political power. Louisiana Republican state leaders and Democratic officials in New Orleans have been at odds over the overhaul, and the prosecution has become another front in that fight.

Media access during the grand jury return also became an issue. Reporting said access to the proceedings was contested and reporters were removed from the courtroom during the return of the indictment.

Reactions from Murrill and Landry

Murrill has said the case is retaliatory, meritless and unconstitutional. Governor Jeff Landry has defended her and said he would pardon her if necessary.

Those responses underline the political stakes surrounding the prosecution. The case could affect the standing of both the attorney general and the governor, while also raising questions about due process and grand jury access in a high-profile criminal matter.

What happens next

Murrill is expected to seek dismissal of the indictment. The parties may also file motions challenging the indictment, the special prosecutor or the trial judge.

Further court action will determine whether the case proceeds at all, or whether the stay becomes the first step toward ending the prosecution.

For now, the Louisiana Supreme Court’s order has shifted the fight from an active criminal case to a procedural battle over whether the indictment can survive.