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Susan Hutson

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Susan Hutson
Sheriff of Orleans Parish
In office
May 2, 2022 – May 4, 2026
Preceded byMarlin Gusman
Succeeded byMichelle Woodfork
Personal details
Born (1967-01-19) January 19, 1967 (age 59)
PartyDemocratic
EducationUniversity of Pennsylvania, Tulane Law School
WebsiteOfficial website

Susan Amele Hutson (born January 19, 1967) is an American lawyer who was the sheriff of Orleans Parish, Louisiana, from May 2, 2022 to May 4, 2026. A member of the Democratic party, Hutson was the first woman to hold the office.[1] Before becoming sheriff, she worked in criminal justice reform and police oversight.

Hutson was elected sheriff of Orleans Parish in 2021 and defeated the four-term incumbent, Marlin Gusman. She lost reelection in 2025 to former interim police chief Michelle Woodfork and received the third most votes in the election after a troubled tenure.[2]

In April 2026, Hutson was indicted by a special grand jury on 30 felony counts, including malfeasance, obstruction of justice and fraud-related charges.[3]

Early life and education

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Hutson was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and raised in Houston, Texas.[4] She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1989 and Tulane Law School in 1992.[5][6]

Career

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Police oversight

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For much of her career, Hutson worked in police oversight in Los Angeles, California, and Austin, Texas.[7] This culminated in her becoming the assistant inspector general for the Los Angeles Police Department from 2007 to 2010.[8] In 2010, she became the independent police monitor for the New Orleans Police Department, a position established after a successful referendum in 2008.[9] She resigned from that position in 2021 after announcing her run for sheriff.[10]

Hutson was also the president of the National Association for Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement, a citizen police oversight organization created in 2016.[11] She also resigned from this position after announcing her run for sheriff.[12]

2021 election

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In April 2021, Hutson announced she would run for sheriff of Orleans Parish against the longtime incumbent sheriff Marlin Gusman, who had held the position since 2004, in the elections to be held that November.[13] Her campaign was focused on criminal justice reform and advocated against plans to expand Orleans Parish Prison.[14] She was endorsed by New Orleans District Attorney Jason Williams.[15] Hutson also received a donation of $200,000 from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, which was more than all of her other donations combined.[16]

On November 13, 2021, Hutson placed second in the nonpartisan primary election, 13 points behind Gusman.[17] Because Gusman failed to earn 50% of the vote, he and Hutson advanced to the general election.[18] On December 11, 2021, Hutson won with 53% of the vote.[19]

Tenure

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Hutson was sworn in on May 2, 2022, becoming the first female sheriff of New Orleans and the first Black female sheriff in Louisiana.[20]

In August 2022, inmates at the Orleans Parish jail barricaded themselves inside a pod and demanded better conditions, including better food and medicine, more adequate entertainment, and a washer and dryer.[21] After multiple days, a sprinkler system was activated inside the pod, and Hutson instructed personnel to break in, ending the standoff.[22] None of the prisoners’ demands was considered.[22]

In April 2023, Hutson proposed a ballot measure that would have generated $11.7 million a year for the sheriff’s office by increasing property taxes. The measure failed with 91% of voters rejecting it.[23]

In July 2023, federal jail monitors found that jail conditions, which started falling in 2020 under Gusman, had continued to decline under Hutson. The report stated that despite cooperation from Hutson, conditions did not improve, with drug smuggling and frequent violence among inmates. It attributed this decline to a lack of resources and staff.[24]

Hutson's opposition to the expansion of the Orleans Parish Prison, on which she centered her campaign, was ultimately unsuccessful after U.S. district judge Lance Africk denied Hutson’s motion in 2023 and ordered the city to begin construction. Hutson denounced the decision but nonetheless vowed to follow it.[25]

2025 election

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Hutson ran for reelection as sheriff of Orleans Parish in 2025 and received the third most votes in the election held on October 11, 2025, won by Michelle Woodfork.[2]

Controversies

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In March 2023, Hutson fired four high-ranking officials from the sheriff's office, saying the office was going through "organizational restructuring".[26] One of the officials, CFO David Trautenberg, claimed in a lawsuit that he was fired for opening an internal financial investigation into alleged "misuse of public funds".[27] It was reported that the funds Trautenberg referred to, nearly $20,000 of taxpayer money, were spent for senior staff to stay in high-end hotel rooms during Mardi Gras season, most of which reportedly remained unoccupied.[28] Hutson said there was nothing irregular about the expenditure, saying it was "money well spent".[29]

After the 2023 Mardi Gras season, it was reported that Hutson overpaid deputies who took on additional duties during the celebrations.[30] According to the inspector general of New Orleans, the payments violated state and federal law.[31]

On May 16, 2025, ten inmates with violent charges, including homicide, escaped overnight by moving a toilet fixture and went unnoticed and unreported to partner agencies for over ten hours. Shortly thereafter, Hutson suspended her campaign. At the time of qualifying for re-election on July 9, 2025, one inmate remained at large. In April 2026, Hutson was indicted by a grand jury on 30 felony counts, including malfeasance, obstruction of justice and fraud-related charges.[3]

Electoral history

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Orleans Parish Sheriff, 2021

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Nonpartisan primary election, November 13, 2021

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Marlin Gusman (incumbent) Democratic 35,903 (47.7%) Runoff
Susan Hutson Democratic 26,666 (35.4%) Runoff
Christopher Williams Democratic 6,651 (8.8%) Defeated
Janet Hayes No party 3,230 (4.3%) Defeated
Quentin Brown Independent 2,791 (3.7%) Defeated

General election, December 11, 2021

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Susan Hutson Democratic 31,975 (53.3%) Elected
Marlin Gusman (incumbent) Democratic 27,987 (46.7%) Defeated

Orleans Parish Sheriff, 2025

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Nonpartisan primary election, October 11, 2025

Candidate Affiliation Support Outcome
Michelle Woodfork Democratic 54,019 (52.9%) Elected
Edwin M. Shorty Jr. Democratic 21,199 (20.8%) Defeated
Susan Hutson (incumbent) Democratic 17,469 (17.1%) Defeated
Ernest Lee Republican 4,614 (4.5%) Defeated
Julian Parker Democratic 2,431 (2.4%) Defeated
Bob Murray Democratic 2,369 (2.3%) Defeated

References

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  1. ↑ "'We're making history': Susan Hutson becomes first woman to serve as Orleans Parish Sheriff". NOLA.com. May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Woodfork elected Orleans sheriff, as voters oust Hutson after troubled term". FOX 8. October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Simerman, John. "Sheriff Susan Hutson, warrants accuse-orleans-sheriff repeatedly ignoring jail warnings-before inmate escape". fox.com. Retrieved April 30, 2026.
  4. ↑ "A new sheriff in Town? Susan Hutson, longtime NOPD monitor, to run against Marlin Gusman". NOLA.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  5. ↑ "About Sheriff Susan Hutson". Orleans Parish Sheriff’s Office. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  6. ↑ "A new sheriff in Town? Susan Hutson, longtime NOPD monitor, to run against Marlin Gusman". NOLA.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Susan Hutson sworn in as Sheriff". The Lens. May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  8. ↑ "A new sheriff in Town? Susan Hutson, longtime NOPD monitor, to run against Marlin Gusman". NOLA.com. April 28, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  9. ↑ "The first female sheriff of Orleans Parish is also the first Black woman to hold the job in Louisiana". CNN. December 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  10. ↑ "Susan Hutson Sworn in as Sheriff". Nola.com. May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  11. ↑ "What can East Lansing expect from its police oversight commission?". Fox 47. July 16, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  12. ↑ "A Susan Hutson win could give New Orleans — and the U.S. — its 1st progressive sheriff". WWNO. December 10, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  13. ↑ "Independent police monitor Susan Hutson running for Orleans sheriff". WDSU News. April 29, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  14. ↑ "The first female sheriff of Orleans Parish is also the first Black woman to hold the job in Louisiana". CNN. December 12, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  15. ↑ "Sheriff candidate Susan Hutson gets key endorsement from New Orleans DA Jason Williams". WWNO. November 19, 2021. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  16. ↑ "Facebook's Zuckerberg donates $200,000 to unseat New Orleans sheriff". The Tulane Hullabaloo. December 10, 2021. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  17. ↑ "See the six New Orleans races that are headed to a runoff this December". WWNO. November 16, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  18. ↑ "Sheriff's race against incumbent Marlin Gusman, Susan Hutson goes to runoff". WWNO. November 14, 2021. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  19. ↑ "Susan Hutson defeats long-time Orleans Parish Sheriff Marlin Gusman". WWL. December 11, 2021. Retrieved April 12, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Susan Hutson Sworn in as Sheriff". Nola.com. May 2, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  21. ↑ "New Orleans prisoner barricade protest ends, Louisiana authorities say". Fox News. August 15, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  22. 1 2 "WGNO First Look: A closer look into the Orleans Justice Center after inmate protest ends when deputies storm jail". WGNO. August 15, 2022. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  23. ↑ "Orleans election result shows Sheriff Hutson failed to make her case for tax hike, analyst says". Fox 8. April 30, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  24. ↑ "Conditions backslid for first part of Sheriff Hutson's tenure over New Orleans jail, monitors find". The Lens. July 7, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  25. ↑ "Sheriff Hutson's opposition to Orleans jail expansion has 'reached finish line,' federal judge says". Fox 8. September 5, 2023. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  26. ↑ "Ousted CFO says he was fired by Sheriff Hutson after questioning OPSO's Carnival hotel spending". Fox 8. March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  27. ↑ "Former employee files federal lawsuit against Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson". WWL. October 27, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  28. ↑ "Sheriff Hutson restructuring executive leadership staff, former OPSO staff fire back". WDSU News. March 29, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  29. ↑ "Former employee files federal lawsuit against Orleans Parish Sheriff Susan Hutson". WWL. October 27, 2023. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  30. ↑ "OIG audit finds Orleans Parish Sheriff's Office overpaid deputies for assisting NOPD last Carnival season". WDSU News. January 19, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  31. ↑ "Did Sheriff Hutson pay deputies more than $100 per hour during 2023 Carnival season? An IG report claims she did". WWL. January 18, 2024. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Susan_Hutson&oldid=1366219701"