New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, members of the New Orleans City Council, and retired Orleans Criminal Court Judge Calvin Johnson have written a letter asking the special prosecutor in the Liz Murrill indictment to dismiss the case.
Orleans Parish District Attorney Jason Williams, while not directly asking for a dismissal, is also urging the special prosecutor to "give the appropriate consideration" to the victims named in the indictment, which include him, the mayor, five members of the city council, and Judge Johnson.
In his letter to Laurie White, Williams says his office has been part of the significant reductions in violent crime in New Orleans, and that has included working in cooperation with the Louisiana Attorney General's office.
Williams said that cooperative work has continued even in the weeks since an Orleans Parish grand jury indicted Murrill on numerous felony counts of malfeasance in office and intimidation of local elected officials.
The grand jury investigation came from letters Murrill sent to local officials after the city of New Orleans called for a special election for court clerk and appointed Johnson as interim clerk, in response to a new state law that eliminated the office of Clerk of Orleans Criminal District Court.
The city said the new law created confusion as to whether it created a new office, which would require a special election.
Murrill said the law assigned the criminal clerk's duties to the Orleans Civil Court Clerk, a position currently held by Chelsea Richard Napoleon. Murrill said the city's actions could be seen as a violation of the state's "usurper law" by illegally removing Napoleon.
In their letter to White, Mayor Moreno and councilmembers wrote, "We were not intimidated. While the correspondence at issue contained threatening language directed toward public officials, we never believed those threats could lawfully or practically be carried out."
And from Judge Johnson, "the people of New Orleans are not served by this prosecution," saying "I did not feel victimized by the letter I received."
Williams recused his office from the grand jury investigation of Murrill.
Williams went on to say that as a "named victim in the indictment," he is asking White to "give the appropriate consideration to the views of a named victim in exercising whatever lawful authority and discretion may be available under the law as these proceedings move forward."
Murrill's defense team has subpoenaed Williams' office and White for any communications that may have involved the grand jury investigation.
