Intimidation Charges Dismissed Against Louisiana Attorney General

A special prosecutor in Louisiana on Wednesday dismissed felony charges against the state’s attorney general, a Republican who had been accused of threatening and intimidating elected officials in New Orleans by sending them letters claiming they could be removed from office for defying state law.

The development came a day after New Orleans leaders wrote to the special prosecutor, Laurie A. White, asking that she drop the charges against the attorney general, Liz Murrill.

The New Orleans officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and several council members, said their request was “not driven by fear, politics, or personal interest,” but by their belief that the public would be “better served by moving forward rather than by prolonging litigation.”

In a 16-count indictment, Ms. Murrill had been charged with malfeasance in office and intimidation and retaliation against a public official. Ms. Murrill and Gov. Jeff Landry, a Republican, had strongly condemned the charges as a political attack. Earlier this month, the Louisiana Supreme Court paused the prosecution just hours after a grand jury in New Orleans indicted Ms. Murrill over the letters.

Ms. Murrill said in a statement on Wednesday that the case should never have started and insisted that there was no crime.

“The irresponsible and illegal actions that led to this abuse of the criminal justice system need to never happen again,” she added.

The dispute, one of the latest flare-ups in a long-running conflict between the city and state, centered on a legislative push this year to reshape the New Orleans judicial system, including by eliminating the criminal court clerk’s office and merging its responsibilities into the civil clerk’s office — adopting a structure similar to what exists in Louisiana’s other parishes.

The move angered many in New Orleans, not just because it was seen as yet another incursion by state officials, but also because the city had recently elected Calvin Duncan as its criminal court clerk. Mr. Duncan is a criminal justice advocate who had been exonerated in a murder case after serving a lengthy prison sentence. The state rushed to approve and enact the change before he was able to take office in May.

City officials argued that the state had effectively created a new clerk’s office rather than hand over the responsibilities to current civil clerk. And so, the city appointed a retired judge to serve as the interim occupant of that new office and called for a special election.

That prompted Ms. Murrill to send letters in May to eight elected officials, including Ms. Moreno; Jason Williams, the district attorney for New Orleans; Judge Calvin Johnson, the interim clerk appointed by the city; and five City Council members who had voted in favor of appointing Judge Johnson.

In the letters, Ms. Murrill asserted that the city’s actions “trigger serious consequences under Louisiana’s usurper statutes, including the possible forfeiture of your own office.” She said the officials had “put your own offices in jeopardy” and that Governor Landry had the power to appoint replacements.

The grand jury initiated the investigation into Ms. Murrill’s letters on its own. Once it did, Mr. Williams recused himself from the case because he had been one of the recipients of Ms. Murrill’s letters.

That recusal led to the appointment of Ms. White, a retired criminal court judge who reluctantly accepted the assignment.