NEW ORLEANS, La. (UrbanCast: 7/3/2026) — The Louisiana Supreme Court has temporarily halted criminal proceedings against Attorney General Liz Murrill, less than a day after an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted her following a dispute over the Orleans Parish Clerk of Court.
In a per curiam order issued Friday, the state’s highest court granted Murrill’s emergency request for a stay, pausing the case while legal challenges to the indictment move forward.
The case stems from letters Murrill sent in May to New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, District Attorney Jason Williams, City Council President JP Morrell, City Council Vice President Matthew Willard, other council members and retired Judge Calvin Johnson.
In those letters, Murrill demanded the officials rescind resolutions related to the clerk of court dispute. She argued they lacked legal authority to proceed and warned they could face legal consequences if they continued.
The dispute began after the Louisiana Legislature passed Act 15 of the 2026 Regular Session, which abolished the separate Orleans Parish Criminal District Clerk of Court office and consolidated its duties with the Civil District Clerk of Court.
New Orleans officials challenged the law by attempting to appoint an interim criminal clerk and call a special election. However, the Louisiana Supreme Court later upheld the law, blocked the election and ruled the consolidation was constitutional.
Despite that ruling, an Orleans Parish grand jury later indicted Murrill on multiple criminal charges tied to the warning letters she sent to city officials.
Murrill immediately asked the Louisiana Supreme Court to intervene, arguing the indictment should not move forward because of constitutional and procedural concerns.
On Friday, the court granted the stay.
In its order, the Supreme Court said Murrill presented compelling arguments regarding what it described as “disturbing defects” in the grand jury proceedings. The court also wrote that the indictment appeared to stem from “extraordinary procedural defects and improprieties.”
The justices cited public reports that members of the media were removed from the courtroom before the indictment was returned, despite Louisiana law generally requiring grand jury returns to occur in open court. The order also discussed alleged conflicts involving the special prosecutor that were raised by Murrill. The court did not make final findings on those issues.
The stay allows Murrill to file motions seeking dismissal of the indictment. It also permits requests seeking the recusal of the special prosecutor or trial judge while the case remains on hold.
Following the ruling, Murrill thanked the Louisiana Supreme Court in a statement posted Friday on Facebook.
“I’m grateful to the Louisiana Supreme Court for swiftly issuing a stay in this matter,” Murrill wrote. “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.”
Murrill said she plans to seek dismissal of the indictment. She also called the prosecution a political witch hunt and criticized the actions of the special prosecutor, trial judge and grand jury. Those allegations remain disputed and have not been decided by the courts.
Before the Supreme Court issued its stay, Governor Jeff Landry criticized the indictment, announced he had directed Louisiana State Police to investigate alleged improprieties surrounding the grand jury proceedings and said he would pardon Murrill if doing so became legally possible.
The Supreme Court did not dismiss the indictment. Instead, it stayed the proceedings and returned the matter to the lower court, allowing Murrill to pursue motions seeking dismissal and other legal challenges.
UrbanCast will continue following the case as additional court filings and rulings become available.
