Louisiana court halts criminal indictment against state attorney general

Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill, in January 2025. Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images View image in fullscreen Louisiana’s attorney general, Liz Murrill, in January 2025. Photograph: Chris Graythen/Getty Images Louisiana court halts criminal indictment against state attorney general Republican Liz Murrill was indicted for the alleged intimidation of New Orleans elected officials Sign up for the Breaking News US newsletter email Louisiana’s highest court has granted a stay of the proceedings in a criminal indictment targeting the state’s attorney general, in the latest twist of a high-stakes political battle between Republican state leaders and Democrats who govern its most famous city, New Orleans . Liz Murrill, a Republican who is Louisiana ’s first female attorney general, was slapped with a 16-count indictment on Thursday by a New Orleans grand jury charging her with intimidation and malfeasance. The charges effectively accused her of trying to intimidate New Orleans officials who fought a law passed by Republican legislators to overhaul the city’s courts. Murrill quickly moved for a stay on Thursday. And the Louisiana supreme court granted it early on Friday, finding she made “a compelling argument concerning the disturbing defects in the grand jury proceedings and in the trial court’s handling of those proceedings”. Louisiana: Republican attorney general indicted on criminal charges Read more The attorney general had also called the charges against her “retaliatory, meritless and unconstitutional”, writing on X that she would continue “doing the job the people of Louisiana elected me to do”. Separately, the state’s Republican governor, Jeff Landry, has promised a swift pardon, saying Murrill would not have her reputation tarnished by a “kangaroo court”. The supreme court order resulting in Friday’s stay says the case was meant to allow Murrill to “assert any and all necessary defensive pleadings, including motions to quash”. “This stay shall not prevent the filing of a response to any pleadings filed by the attorney general,” the order also said. The stay came a day after the announcement of the grand jury indictment that was shrouded in secrecy. News media members awaiting in the courtroom of the New Orleans judge Leon Roche to await the potential extraordinary return of the indictment against Murrill were escorted out after he ordered the room sealed. The public has the legal right to access court proceedings. And Louisiana law requires grand jury returns to be made in open court. So news outlet WWL Louisiana , a Guardian reporting partner, protested against the closure to try to maintain access to the proceedings. An investigative producer for the station, Danny Monteverde, and the outlet’s attorney, Elana Beiser, were subsequently handcuffed and removed from the courtroom as well as from an outside hallway. Roche at the time did not explain why he had sealed the courtroom, local newspaper the Times-Picayune reported . Later