In late 2025, Calvin Duncan, a former exoneree who once spent nearly 30 years in prison for a murder he did not commit, was elected clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal District Court.

Duncan received around 68% of the vote, beating an incumbent tied to a longtime political family.

The clerk’s office oversees case files, evidence logs, and other records that directly affect how fast and fairly people move through the system.

Now, lawmakers are attempting to erase the position that Duncan just won.

A package of bills from Louisiana Senator Jay Morris would cut 11 judgeships across New Orleans courts and fold Duncan’s criminal‑court clerk role into a single consolidated clerk’s office.

Senate Bill 256, which recently passed the state Senate, would eliminate Duncan’s position before he can even take office this May, critics say. Supporters of the overhaul argue the changes will streamline operations and reduce costs, but opponents say the bills are more about political power than efficiency and could destabilize one of the busiest court systems in the South.

“The civil district court clerk doesn’t have a clue, doesn’t have a clue on how the records are supposed to be preserved, and how to preserve evidence,” he said to The Lens recently. “Victims of crime will be affected by this.”

Many say, Duncan’s life story—someone wrongfully convicted as a young man, who educated himself in prison law and helped other inmates before his own exoneration—is a mirror of the justice system’s many complexities.

In a 2025 interview with the New York Times, he shared his frustrations. Even having access to his own court records was an uphill battle. “The struggle I went through to get my records,” he said, “I don’t want it to happen to anyone else.”

For many, seeing the legislature move to scrap the very office he won feels like a rebuke of the people’s choice. The bills still must clear the Louisiana House, where debates over judges, court data, and who controls New Orleans’ criminal‑justice infrastructure are expected to intensify in the coming weeks.

“Governor Landry and his lackeys want to overrule the voters and dictate what happens to us. It’s a slap in the face not only to the people who elected me, but to every voter across Louisiana,” Duncan said in a statement, per WWLTV. “I have been fighting for our rights my entire life, and I won’t quit until I’ve done the job the people elected me to do.”