Calvin Duncan spent more than 28 years in prison for a crime he did not commit - in large part because the Orleans Parish Clerk of Criminal Court’s Office repeatedly denied him access to the records he needed to challenge his wrongful conviction.

While at Angola, he became a self-taught jailhouse lawyer, helping other incarcerated people understand the law, access the courts, and meet legal deadlines so no one would die in prison because of a late court filing.

Calvin also played a pivotal role in ending Louisiana’s non-unanimous jury law, which allowed people to be convicted of a crime even if one or two jury members thought they were innocent. His work led to a statewide referendum and U.S. Supreme Court decision banning the practice.

Since his release in 2011, Calvin earned a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies from Tulane University and a J.D. from Lewis and Clark University of Law. He founded the Light of Justice program to continue expanding access to the courts for incarcerated people. In 2025, he received an honorary law degree from Loyola Law School and released a memoir, The Jailhouse Lawyer.

In fall of 2025, the people of New Orleans elected Calvin to be the next Clerk of Criminal District Court and the city’s Chief Elections Officer. Calvin will take office on May 4, 2026.