When the Record Keeper Knows What It’s Like to Be in the Records

In New Orleans, Calvin Duncan - a man who spent 30 years incarcerated for a murder conviction later vacated - has just been elected clerk of criminal court. His victory isn’t just historic; it’s a reminder that the people most harmed by the criminal legal system often understand its failures better than anyone else.  For decades, Duncan fought simply to access the records that shaped his life: transcripts, filings, police reports, all the documents that many incarcerated people, sex workers, and survivors are routinely denied. His election matters because records matter.