Exoneree assumes elected clerk office after judge blocks law eliminating position

NEW ORLEANS — A Louisiana man who spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction began work Monday overseeing the criminal court in New Orleans after a judge temporarily blocked the state from eliminating the position. Calvin Duncan won 68% of the vote to serve as Orleans Parish criminal court clerk. But at the urging … Read more

Louisiana Republicans eliminate elected position days before an exoneree was set to take office

BATON ROUGE, La. — Louisiana Republicans have eliminated an elected position days before an exoneree who overwhelmingly won the New Orleans-based clerk seat was set to take office. Republican Gov. Jeff Landry quietly signed legislation abolishing the longstanding Orleans Parish clerk of criminal court position into law Thursday, according to Louisiana Secretary of State spokesperson … Read more

Keisha Lance Bottoms details her vision for Georgia if elected governor

From the daughter of an incarcerated R&B singer to running one of the largest cities in the country, and now the frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for Georgia governor. Former Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms chronicles her upbringing and political career in her new memoir, “The Rough Side of the Mountain.” Lance Bottoms joins “The … Read more

Louisiana GOP races to eliminate an elected office won by an exonerated man

NEW ORLEANS — A man imprisoned for nearly 30 years before being exonerated won a landmark election in New Orleans promising to fix a judicial system that failed him. Now, Louisiana’s Gov. Jeff Landry and the GOP-controlled Legislature are racing to eliminate his job before he can be sworn in. Calvin Duncan won 68% of … Read more

Elected leaders and clergy seek release of Wisconsin mosque president detained by immigration agents

The president of Wisconsin’s largest mosque was detained by federal immigration agents, drawing accusations Thursday from local officials and religious leaders that the arrest was motivated by his criticism of Israel. Salah Sarsour, a Palestinian-born legal permanent resident of the United States, was taken into custody by nearly a dozen U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement … Read more