Moreno and City Council members subpoenaed over Murrill indictment
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New Orleans' top elected officials could be called to testify in the continuing legal fight over Attorney General Liz Murrill's now-dismissed indictment.
Why it matters: The lawsuit could shed new light on what happened behind the scenes in the criminal case and whether New Orleans officials had any role in it.
The big picture: Mayor Helena Moreno, five City Council members and District Attorney Jason Williams were issued subpoenas Monday, writes John Simerman with The Times-Picayune.
- The subpoenas are part of a public records lawsuit against Laurie White, who was the special prosecutor in the grand jury case that led to Murrill being indicted on 16 counts of public intimidation and malfeasance.
- Prosecutors allege Murrill used the authority of her office to threaten to remove Moreno and the majority of the City Council over a dispute about who should serve as Orleans Parish clerk of court.
- The charges were dropped in late July, at the request of Moreno and the other officials.
Zoom in: The New Orleans leaders say they had nothing to do with the indictment, but Murrill previously said she doesn't believe that's true.
- Murrill's attorneys have filed lawsuits geared toward getting more details about how the indictment happened.
- Gov. Jeff Landry has supported Murrill through the process. He launched an investigation through the Louisiana State Police and said he won't talk with Moreno while the litigation is ongoing.
Zoom out: City Attorney Charline Gipson says the subpoenas are related to a civil case in which Murrill's attorney, Blake Arcuri, is suing White over her public records response.
- "Neither the mayor nor any member of the council is party to this matter, and yet the city is being drawn in through subpoenas that were never issued by a judge," she said in a prepared statement on behalf of the mayor and council. "The city has moved on."
- She said her office will respond to "this harassment" in court.
- Williams' office said he is in back-to-back homicide trials and "has not had time to review any of the subpoenas that the plaintiffs attempted to serve."
What's next: The case goes before a judge Oct. 1, when White will argue to throw out the lawsuit, Simerman writes.