NEW ORLEANS (AP) — A Louisiana man who spent decades in prison for a wrongful conviction began work Monday overseeing the criminal court in New Orleans after a judge temporarily blocked the state from eliminating the position. Calvin Duncan won 68% of the vote to serve as Orleans Parish criminal court clerk. But at the urging of Republican Gov. Jeff Landry, the GOP-controlled state Legislature raced to pass legislation eliminating the position days before Duncan’s term was to start, transferring the duties to another official. U.S. District Judge John deGravelles intervened Sunday, saying the law eliminating the clerk position was unconstitutional because it replaced an elected office with a political appointee. He granted Duncan’s request for a restraining order while the litigation continues and ordered the parties to a status conference Monday. “The Court is not ruling that the state lacks the authority to abolish an agency or office writ large,” deGravelles said.…