Court Records Found in a Landfill
Murder and rape case files. Scattered across a debris field. Mixed with garbage. This is what happened to Orleans Parish court records under Clerk Darren Lombard's watch.
Play the Landfill Game →
Murder and rape case files. Scattered across a debris field. Mixed with garbage. This is what happened to Orleans Parish court records under Clerk Darren Lombard's watch.
Play the Landfill Game →In August 2025, court records dating from the 1950s through 1980s—including capital murder and aggravated rape cases—were discovered improperly disposed of at a New Orleans landfill. Governor Jeff Landry ordered a Louisiana State Police investigation. Attorney General Liz Murrill called it "unacceptable."
In his 2021 campaign, Darren Lombard explicitly promised to digitize court records and bring Orleans Parish into the "digital age." As of October 2025—more than four years later—the system still isn't operational.
Lombard says the online system will launch "in the next 60 days."
Lombard says it will go live "within weeks, possibly after the election."
Still no digital access. Orleans Parish remains the only Louisiana parish without online court records.
Beyond operational failures, Clerk Lombard's conduct raises serious questions about honesty and integrity.
WWL-TV cameras captured poll workers arriving at early voting wearing lanyards branded with Darren Lombard's name and campaign slogan. Louisiana law forbids campaign materials inside polling places, yet election officials allowed every worker to enter while wearing them.
Lombard publicly questioned whether challenger Calvin Duncan was actually "exonerated" from his murder conviction. Duncan's exoneration is documented in court records—records maintained by Lombard's own office. Duncan was fully exonerated by a judge in 2021.
Lombard swore on qualifying papers that he had filed his 2019 campaign finance report. During trial testimony, he admitted under oath that he had not filed it. He later paid an Ethics Commission fine and filed the overdue report after receiving a 20-day extension.
Whether wrongfully convicted people can prove their innocence. Whether prosecutors can bring cases to trial. Whether defense attorneys can access evidence.
The Clerk serves as Chair of the Board of Election Supervisors and chief elections officer for Orleans Parish. Record-keeping failures affect election integrity.
The landfill recovery cost up to $1 million. Late audits risk state penalties. Poor management wastes public resources.
Every fact on this website is documented and sourced. All information comes from news reports, government documents, court records, and public statements.