Liz Murrill Is Officially In The Race To Replace Jeff Landry

We’ve been waiting for the fields of the statewide offices up for election this fall, and particularly the ones where the current occupant is running for governor, to begin to fill up. One of those is that of Attorney General, where Jeff Landry has revolutionized the office from a sleepy plaintiff shop to something more akin to what you’d expect it to be, and yesterday Landry’s solicitor general Liz Murrill made official her candidacy for the job.

Here was Murrill’s rather extensive press release by way of introduction…

Liz Baker Murrill, a common-sense conservative and Republican from Baton Rouge, is running to become our next Attorney General.

Liz has the Experience to Lead Louisiana as its Chief Legal Officer.

Liz has three decades’ experience in and out of the courtroom with criminal and civil cases, including complex commercial litigation, appeals, and government transactions.  She has served the State of Louisiana as the first Solicitor General for the past seven years. She personally argued five cases at the United States Supreme Court and many others in state and federal courts.  She has led multi-state briefs on constitutional issues defending our First and Second Amendment rights, protecting Louisiana’s sovereignty, and opposing invasive federal overreach. She is ready to fight for Louisiana and protect its conservative values.

Liz served in several legal capacities under the Jindal Administration from 2008-2015, including Executive Counsel to the Governor. She was counsel for the Office of the Governor in the BP Oil Spill litigation and has served as a member and counsel to several state boards and commissions. She was a United States Supreme Court Judicial Fellow in 2007-08 at the Federal Judicial Center and taught at the Louisiana State University Law Center for more than ten years.  Liz earned her B.A. in Journalism from LSU in 1985 and obtained her J.D. from LSU Law School in 1991, where she was Editor-in-Chief of the Louisiana Law Review. She obtained an L.L.M. (Master of Laws) from the Straus Institute for Dispute Resolution at Pepperdine University Law School in 2010.

Liz’s family roots in Louisiana go back 300 years.

Liz’s roots in Louisiana date back to the original founding of New Orleans and the settlement of the Acadiana region. An eighth-generation Louisianan, Liz was born in New Orleans and raised in Lafayette. Her great-grandfather grew up in St. Martinville, worked in the Atchafalaya Basin cutting trees, and then started his own lumber mill on the Bayou Teche. His son, J.J. Burdin, M.D., was a doctor and business leader in Lafayette in a long-time medical partnership with her father, Larry E. Baker, an eye doctor.  Both served and supported the community for decades, while also providing medical care to multiple generations of Acadiana families.  Her paternal grandfather was a GMC car salesman in Arkansas, until he bought a Pontiac/GMC car dealership in Missouri. Her mother, Dr. Vaughan Burdin, is a lifelong educator who was a middle school English teacher in New Orleans in her early career and then a longtime professor of history and humanities at UL-Lafayette.

“I was raised to cherish family, friends, community, hard work, free enterprise, and our shared history. My grandparents and parents passed to me these principles and a desire for leadership that values strengthening and lifting up our economy and local communities. I’ve always believed in the individual rights that are preserved in our state and federal constitutions and believe we must be diligent in protecting our personal freedoms and educating future generations about why they are important.”

In addition to being a fierce fighter for Louisiana and our families, Liz Murrill has been married for 30 years to John Murrill, a Baton Rouge native who is also a lawyer. They have four sons, the youngest of whom is attending Louisiana Tech University in Ruston.  She has been a strong advocate for women and children, having manned the crisis phone lines at Zolta House Battered Women’s Shelter and worked with legislators on bills that would strengthen protections for women. Liz volunteered in numerous capacities with the Boy Scouts of America and is the proud mom of an Eagle Scout. She serves on the Board of Directors for Family Services of Baton Rouge and, after Hurricane Katrina, established a pro bono project with the Baton Rouge Bar Association that helped families navigate the legal obstacles on their road to recovery.  She and John are longtime members of University Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, where they both have served in numerous capacities.

The primary is October 14, 2023. Attorney General Jeff Landry has announced his intent to enter the Governor’s race, leaving the AG seat open. Friends and supporters of Liz’s campaign expressed their excitement about Liz as the next Attorney General and first female to serve in that position:

“Louisiana needs leaders like Liz who will keep convicted criminals behind bars and stay tough on repeat offenders.  She has a proven record of keeping violent criminals in jail and supporting law enforcement. She’ll make an incredible Attorney General.” Greg Phares, Baton Rouge Chief of Police (Ret.) and Security Safety Consultant

“Liz has built a strong record of protecting Louisiana’s economy and jobs.  She brings both experience and leadership – qualities we need to move our State forward.  She’ll be an exceptional Attorney General.”  Boysie Bollinger, Louisiana Business Leader

“Liz Murrill has unrivaled experience and a first-rate legal mind that she brings to the Office of Attorney General.  She’s respected across the country and in every courthouse she’s entered.” Harry J. “Skip” Philips, Jr., Attorney

“Liz Murrill is the real deal. She’s a respected legal professional and one of the best Solicitors General in the United States. She’s already doing the job. Louisiana’s families win with Liz as our next Attorney General.” Misti and Hardeman Cordell, Monroe

“Liz cares deeply about all those who serve and have served our nation at home and abroad.  She will defend their sacrifice and shares our commitment to the Constitution and its promise of freedom that serves as a light to people around the world.” Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis (Ret.), Former Adjutant General of the Louisiana National Guard

We’d put Murrill in the driver’s seat as the favorite in the race, though she’s not going to run unopposed. District Attorney John Belton of the Third District in North Louisiana is running as an independent with the support of most of the state’s black Democrats, and that’ll make Belton the de-facto Democrat in the race, but Belton’s candidacy is a bit hamstrung by the fact that he’s the DA in Union Parish, the place where members of the Louisiana State Police beat Ronald Greene death on a roadside and Belton was awfully slow – because of a federal investigation, he says – to prosecute the case. Greene’s family, to be kind, is less than enthused about Belton.

There are a couple of other Republicans in the race. Baton Rouge lawyer Marty Maley, who ran for AG back in 2015 when Landry initially won the job, is back in the running as an announced candidate. And state representative John Stefanski (R-Crowley) announced for Attorney General back in October.

But Murrill is the logical successor to Landry. As the solicitor general she’s handled the big cases, particularly at the appellate and Supreme Court level, that the AG’s office has been involved with – including the June Medical case that was the precursor to the Dobbs decision which overturned Roe v. Wade. June Medical wasn’t a victory, but it did set precedent upon which the Dobbs case broke through. And Murrill has won more cases at the Supreme Court than she’s lost.

She’s going to have Landry’s backing in the race, as well as – likely – that of the state GOP. And that’s likely going to be enough to win, but it’s a long way from the October primary.