My Clerk of Court election win, Graphic Dead Man Walking is out, and More
Plus, The Jailhouse Lawyer is chosen by New York Public Library as a Best Book of 2025
Last Saturday, the people of New Orleans elected me to serve as their next Clerk of Criminal Court.
I spent decades being denied access to records by the clerk’s office while fighting to prove my own innocence and expose injustice in others’ cases. I ran for this position to make sure that what happened to me never happens to anyone else.
I’m grateful to my team and supporters for helping me make this dream a reality. Like I told Mrs. Rabalais when she first made me an inmate counsel substitute: “I won’t let you down.”
You can read about my journey to office in The New York Times here and here, and listen to NPR’s coverage here.
I’ve also included links below to some of the recent TV media coverage.
MSNBC: The 11th Hour with Stephanie Ruhle
CNN: The Lead with Jake Tapper
The Joy Reid Show
Visit calvinforclerk.com and follow @calvin4clerk on Instagram to stay updated.
Every year, librarians and staff at The New York Public Library read thousands of books to create their annual ‘Best Books’ recommendations for readers.
Sophie and I were excited to learn that The Jailhouse Lawyer was chosen by the New York Public Library as one of its best books of 2025!
Dead Man Walking Graphic Edition Is Out Now
On October 28, Penguin Random House published the graphic adaptation of Dead Man Walking by Helen Prejean, Rose Vines, and Catherine Anyango Grünewald. It’s an amazing visual retelling for the next generation with a whole bunch of new insights from the present day.
Every time I hold this book in my hands, I’m captivated all over again. The amount of research, thought, and creativity behind each page are astonishing.
I attended some of the book launch events in New Orleans and was so proud of my friends.
You can watch the New York launch here:
I especially loved this discussion on The Reading Life below…
Pick up a copy wherever books are sold!
Jesuit Social Research Institute on Louisiana Considered
My friends at the Jesuit Social Research Institute (JSRI) were recently featured on Louisiana Considered for their work to secure Pell Grants for incarcerated students. Now, students at Rayburn Correctional Center can gain a four-year degree through Loyola’s Prison Education Program. It makes me so happy to know people on the inside can attend college classes again with Loyola’s support.
Start the segment below at minute 14:50 to listen.
Learn more about JSRI’s work, which houses my Light of Justice program, here: https://jsri.loyno.edu/programs
Public Defenseless Podcast
Finally, Sophie and I stopped by Hunter Parnell’s podcast Public Defenseless this month. Consider subscribing, Hunter’s show is chock-full of fascinating people.
You give us Hope for the future thank you thank you
Congratulations
We need more like you in this world. Keep Shinning