Updated
Updated · FOX 8 Local First · Jul 4
Louisiana Supreme Court Voids Liz Murrill Arrest Warrant in 4-3 Vote After 16-Count Indictment
Updated
Updated · FOX 8 Local First · Jul 4

Louisiana Supreme Court Voids Liz Murrill Arrest Warrant in 4-3 Vote After 16-Count Indictment

3 articles · Updated · FOX 8 Local First · Jul 4

Summary

  • A 4-3 Louisiana Supreme Court order late Friday recalled the arrest warrant for Attorney General Liz Murrill and directed officials to remove it from law-enforcement databases immediately.
  • The court said its earlier July 3 stay of Murrill’s prosecution already barred her arrest or any other prosecutorial step, faulting Orleans Parish officials for not withdrawing the warrant.
  • Murrill was indicted Thursday on 16 felony counts of malfeasance in office and intimidation of public officials, tied to May 13 letters threatening removal of New Orleans officials over a court-system law dispute.
  • Three justices dissented, with Chief Justice John Weimer and Justice John Guidry accusing the majority of giving Murrill extraordinary preferential treatment before hearing the case’s merits.
  • The ruling keeps the criminal case on hold after the court earlier cited extraordinary procedural defects and a likely conflict involving special prosecutor Laurie White.

Insights

When a governor promises a pardon post-indictment, is the judicial process truly independent?
Can an attorney general be prosecuted for a legal warning the Supreme Court later validated?