Exonerated Former Inmate Wins New Orleans Election

A New Orleans man who spent almost three decades in prison before his murder conviction was vacated won election Saturday to serve as the city's chief criminal court record keeper, despite the state challenging his past. The city's newly elected clerk of criminal court, Calvin Duncan, fought for decades to clear his name after being convicted of carrying out a 1981 fatal shooting, the AP reports. Duncan, a Democrat, later uncovered evidence that police officers lied in court and had his conviction tossed by a judge in 2021. Duncan won with 68% of the vote, according to unofficial returns from the Louisiana secretary of state's office.

"Tonight is a dream that's been forty years in the making," Duncan said in a statement Saturday night. "I hope that all those people who died in prison because we couldn't get their records are looking down now. I hope they're proud of me. We never stopped fighting for each other's rights, and I will never stop fighting for yours. Thank you for this privilege."

• Duncan is listed in the National Registry of Exonerations. But his opponent, incumbent Darren Lombard, a Democrat, claimed during televised debates, advertisements, and media appearances that Duncan was guilty of the crime. Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill also denied Duncan's innocence despite more than 160 legal professionals attesting otherwise in a public letter. "The facts, the law, and the procedural history are clear: Calvin Duncan was wrongfully convicted, he has proved his innocence, and he is now fully exonerated," the letter stated. Duncan pleaded guilty to a lesser charge in 2011 to vacate his murder conviction and secure his freedom, but the plea was wiped from the record after his exoneration, the New York Times reports.

• In an October primary election, Duncan won 47% of the vote in a three-candidate race to force a runoff with Lombard, who had garnered 46% of the vote. While the city's mayor-elect and other political power players backed Lombard, Duncan went on to edge him out in the Nov. 15 runoff. In a statement, Lombard congratulated Duncan and said he is "ready to support a smooth and professional transition so that the important work of this office continues without interruption."
• Duncan, 62, had only an eighth-grade education when he was incarcerated but became a legal expert while still in prison, helping other inmates challenge unconstitutional practices. He graduated from law school when he was 60.
• In 2020, Duncan's legal advocacy drove the US Supreme Court to end non-unanimous jury convictions in Louisiana and Oregon, the only two states still allowing a practice rooted in the Jim Crow era.
• Duncan, who recalls that it took years for incarcerated people to get access to basic court documents, says he sought the clerk position to ensure fair treatment for all and that records are treated with greater care and respect. The Times notes that the position is "bureaucratic and technical" and normally attracts little attention, but Duncan's campaign convinced voters that the "work is vital to the pursuit of justice."
• New Orleans' criminal court system still relies on paper files, though the city says a digital filing system is in the works. Duncan plans to speed up the effort. In August, court records were mistakenly discarded, leading the clerk's office to wade ankle-deep through a landfill to retrieve them.