Calvin Duncan is sworn in as Orleans clerk as lawmakers move to abolish post

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Calvin Duncan, who won the Orleans Parish criminal court clerk race in November, was sworn into office Tuesday on the steps of the Orleans Parish Criminal District Court, an event he and his supporters described as a celebration even as lawmakers moved to change the job he was taking.

Duncan defeated incumbent Darren Lombard in the November election and is set to assume office May 4, according to the timeline described around the ceremony. The same timeline also leaves open the possibility that the Legislature, and Gov. Jeff Landry, could eliminate the criminal clerk position before Duncan begins working. In that case, the bill’s consolidation would shift authority to the clerk of civil court.

The uncertainty centers on Senate Bill 256, introduced by Sen. John “Jay” Morris, R-Monroe, which passed the Senate on April 8 and was headed toward final passage in the House. The measure would consolidate the civil and criminal court clerks’ offices in Orleans Parish, eliminating the role of criminal clerk and putting the clerk of civil court in charge of the combined system.

Supporters of SB 256 have said the change would align Orleans Parish’s court administration with other parishes, save money and make the courts more efficient. Duncan and many of his supporters have characterized the bill differently, saying it amounts to a personal attack on him and an attempt to disenfranchise voters in New Orleans.

At the courthouse Tuesday, the mood among supporters was festive despite the legislative uncertainty. The steps of the Criminal District Courthouse were crowded with Duncan’s supporters and elected officials, including Mayor Helena Moreno and State Sen. Royce Duplessis. The swearing-in was preceded by cheers of “no surrender, no retreat,” and Duncan received a speech from Cynthia Willard-Lewis, a longtime state legislator and former New Orleans City Council member.

Willard-Lewis, speaking outside the courthouse doors, tied the ceremony to Duncan’s victory in a runoff on Nov. 15, 2025. She said, “Dear friends, cherished citizens and animated electorate of the great Queen City of the South, our beloved New Orleans, today we celebrate, today we honor the will of the people of Orleans Parish — manifested on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025,” before adding that she described Duncan as a “drum major for justice.”

Willard-Lewis also said her family loaned a Bible owned by her father Elliot Willard—described as a longtime educator and former member of the Orleans Parish School Board—for the swearing-in. The oath was administered by human rights lawyer Bill Quigley.

After the oath, Duncan followed with his own remarks that focused on access to records and the ability to challenge the justice system. He said he pursued office as a long-term effort to bring justice to people who need court records to challenge the system. Duncan also said, “Regardless of what they do in Baton Rouge and whoever gets this position,” adding, “I hope that what happened to me, that they would make sure what happened to me would never happen to nobody in life.”

Duncan’s background has become central to how the ceremony was framed. He often points to difficulties in accessing his court records as part of his effort to pursue justice after being wrongfully convicted in a 1981 murder case, spending about 30 years in prison before his release in 2011. He was exonerated in 2021, and supporters on Tuesday used that history to reinforce the message of the swearing-in, even as the future of the criminal clerk post remained tied to the bill’s progress.

If SB 256 passes as written, Civil District Court Clerk Chelsey Richard Napoleon would become the single Orleans court clerk for the consolidated system. Landry, according to the account surrounding the ceremony, has said he intends to sign the bill if it passes in the legislature.