Criminal Justice
Federal judge briefly blocks Louisiana law abolishing New Orleans’ elected criminal court clerk position; appeals court stays order
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A federal judge in Baton Rouge issued a temporary restraining order late Sunday blocking Louisiana from enforcing a new law that would abolish the elected Orleans Parish clerk of Criminal District Court and merge its duties into the civil clerk’s office, a change that would prevent clerk-elect Calvin Duncan from taking office. By Monday morning, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit had granted the state an emergency stay, allowing the law to take effect while the legal fight continues.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled on January 9, 2026, that it may review federal appeals-court decisions denying permission to file successive postconviction motions, and that a statutory bar on re-raising previously presented claims applies to state habeas petitions—not to federal prisoners’ motions under 28 U.S.C. § 2255.
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Virginia is one of three states where people with felony convictions are permanently barred from voting unless the governor restores their rights individually. A federal lawsuit citing a Reconstruction-era law and the prospect of a new Democratic governor are raising the possibility of major changes. Lawmakers have also advanced a proposed constitutional amendment that would ease restoration.