Former New Orleans Criminal Court Judge Laurie White stepped back into the spotlight Thursday as the special prosecutor for a grand jury that handed up a 16-count felony indictment against Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill.
White confirmed that the grand jury charged Murrill with eight counts of malfeasance and eight counts of intimidation. The charges stem from a series of letters Murrill sent in May to local officials — including Mayor Helena Moreno and District Attorney Jason Williams — threatening to seek their removal from office if they did not “officially retract” their support for electing a new court clerk.
During a press briefing Thursday, White addressed how some reporters were handcuffed while they waited in a courtroom hallway for news of the indictment, saying they “failed to leave” after they were ordered away from the grand jury room. She added that “security and anonymity is tantamount” for grand jury proceedings…