Calvin Duncan, J.D., spent 28 and a half years in Louisiana prisons, wrongfully convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. With only a ninth-grade education and limited access to legal materials, he began studying the law in prison. During his time at the Louisiana State Penitentiary, also known as Angola, he spent two decades serving as a jailhouse lawyer for men on death row. In this role, he helped people in prison gain access to the courts and taught a law class to empower others. He also worked with the litigation team that led the United States Supreme Court to rule that Louisiana’s non-unanimous jury verdict law unconstitutional.

After his release, Duncan earned a bachelor’s degree in paralegal studies from Tulane University and received his law degree from Lewis and Clark Law School. He founded the Light of Justice Program, which provides assistance to the incarcerated. In November 2025, Calvin Duncan was elected clerk of Orleans Parish Criminal Court.  He teaches Criminal Law at the Tulane School of Professional Advancement.