#1
#1 out of 12.2M est. views5.06%
politics5h ago
Man who had his murder conviction tossed wins election as city’s chief record keeper
Abcnews.go.com and 2 more
- A New Orleans man who spent decades in prison for a murder conviction, later vacated, won election as the city’s chief criminal court record keeper, signaling a reform-minded shift in the clerk’s office.
- Calvin Duncan, whose conviction was vacated in 2021 amid police-misconduct findings, now emphasizes fair record-keeping and accountability in the clerk’s office.
- Duncan won the runoff with 68% of unofficial returns, reflecting broad public support for his reform-oriented platform against the incumbent clerk.
- Supporters note Duncan’s long advocacy to clear records and rebuild trust as the clerk’s office moves toward digitization, despite ongoing reliance on paper files.
- Observers questioned how quickly results were reported and the verification methods used in the clerk contest, highlighting governance and trust implications.
- The reference underscores broader governance implications and public trust tied to how clerk results are reported and verified in high-stakes elections.
- Louisiana officials publicly disputed Duncan’s innocence at times, while more than 160 legal professionals supported exoneration in a public letter.
- Duncan’s career includes a Supreme Court-driven effort to end non-unanimous juries in Louisiana and Oregon, highlighting his impact beyond the clerk’s race.
- Duncan’s rise—from modest education to legal advocate and practitioner—illustrates a personal dimension of reform in the city’s record-keeping system.
- The election occurs as New Orleans weighs digitizing its filing system to modernize clerk functions and improve transparency.
- The runoff victory signals a narrative shift in the clerk’s office toward accountability and exoneration advocacy as a governing ethos.
Vote 29