16-count indictment against Attorney General Liz Murrill dismissed

Louisiana Attorney General LIZ MURRILL (courtesy of Louisiana Office of the Attorney General)

At the urging from New Orleans Mayor Helena Moreno, special prosecutor Laurie White has dismissed the 16-count indictment against Attorney General Liz Murrill. Tulane University political science professor Mike Sherman says it was Moreno’s way to turn down the political temperature.

“I think this was a moment of leadership, to try to restart dialogue between the state and the city. I think this could spark what most voters want, which is not political divisiveness or infighting, but elected officials to work together,” Sherman said.

An Orleans Parish grand jury had indicted Murrill on eight counts each of public intimidation and malfeasance in connection with letters she wrote to Moreno and other elected officials, threatening their jobs over their support of an appointment of an interim court clerk and a special election for a permanent one. Sherman says had this case dragged on, it would have essentially thrown gasoline onto a bonfire.

“What worried me so deeply is that this great Louisiana tradition of people crossing party lines, Republicans and Democrats sharing power in the legislature; that was at risk, because we started seeing the partisan divide,” Sherman noted.

In response to the lawsuit, Governor Landry started slamming the City of New Orleans, saying it’s not as essential to the State of Louisiana as it once was. Sherman says that talk is pure hyperbole.

“It’s a third of the state’s economy. It’s a global brand. It’s the center of culture. It’s where the doctors get trained. The list goes on and on. Everyone agrees how important and special New Orleans is,” Sherman explained.

While Moreno’s move may be an effort to turn down the political temperature, it seems that Murrill is content in keeping the thermostat turned up. In a statement, she said the case should have never been brought in the first place because she did not commit any crime, and that the dismissal of the charges will not end her quest to get to the bottom of it all.