Case: U.S. v. Desoto Parish School Board
5:67-cv-12589 | U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana
Filed Date: Jan. 11, 1967
Case Ongoing
Clearinghouse coding complete
Case Summary
On January 11, 1967, the U.S. Department of Justice brought this school desegregation case in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana. The Department of Justice sued to enjoin the operation of a segregated school system in rural Desoto Parish, Louisiana. In its early stages, this case was litigated largely in consolidated hearings involving 29 parishes in the Western District of Louisiana. This case was originally heard by Judge Benjamin C. Dawkins Jr.
The case was first stayed pending the Fifth Circuit's decision in U.S. v. Jefferson County Bd. of Educ., 380 F.2d 385 (1967). On March 29, 1967 the Fifth Court decided Jefferson, ruling that school boards have an affirmative duty to bring about integrated, unitary school systems as opposed to merely providing an opportunity for Black students to attend all-White schools. The court's decision thus rejected some school boards' attempt to distinguish between “integration” and “desegregation.”
Subsequently, the District Court approved a "freedom of choice" desegregation plan, in which students could in theory select which school to attend but in reality resulted in very little demographic change. As a result, the plaintiffs appealed. However, in Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, the Supreme Court ruled that a freedom of choice plan in Virginia was constitutionally inadequate for the purposes of school desegregation. 391 U.S. 430 (1968). Thus, the Fifth Circuit on August 20, 1968, remanded a large set of consolidated cases from various U.S. District Courts for reconsideration of whether "freedom of choice" plans were sufficient in light of the higher burden school districts face after Green. Adams v. Mathews, 403 F.2d 181 (1968).
On remand, on November 14, 1968, a three-judge panel in the district court again approved a freedom of choice plan in this and 28 other cases, all consolidated as Conley v. Lake Charles School Bd., 293 F. Supp. 84 (W.D. La. 1968), On appeal, on May 28, 1969, the Court of Appeals finally ruled for all the relevant cases, including this one, that “freedom of choice” plans were inadequate to achieve desegregation of public schools. Hall v. St. Helena Parish School Bd., 417 F.2d 801 (1969).
On August 4, 1969, the District Court approved a three-year plan submitted by the School Board. The plan assigned students to schools under one of three arrangements. Students could be assigned geographically, according to the bus they rode, or by providing their own transportation if they lived outside a zoned area. On January 14, 1970, Fifth Circuit ordered the plan to be modified to compel the school board to complete desegregation by February 1, 1970, following the Supreme Court’s decision in Carter v. West Feliciana Parish School Board, 396 U.S. 290 (1970), which reversed a Fifth Circuit case that allowed school districts to defer integration plans beyond February 1, 1970.
The Department of Justice filed a broad motion for further relief in 1975, but the district court only granted partial relief with regard to the student transportation system. On appeal, in 1978, the Fifth Circuit granted the broad relief that the Department of Justice sought but that the district court denied. Specifically, the Fifth Circuit granted relief with respect to student and faculty assignment. 574 F.2d 804. The Supreme Court denied review. 439 U.S. 982 (1978).
The docket was quiet until 2007, when the parties moved for entry of a new consent decree with res. The district court approved that decree on February 5, 2007. The decree adjusted their student transfer policy so that it would not interfere with the existing desegregation order. After granting multiple time extensions, the District Court entered a superseding decree on December 14, 2011, that finalized the student transfer policy. In 2014, the District Court granted a motion to modify the school attendance zone boundaries.
The School Board filed ten additional status reports since 2014 as of May 2019. The most recent report was filed by the defendant on April 6, 2021; included student enrollment, transfer, and faculty data. The case is ongoing.
Summary Authors
Alaael-Deen Shilleh (4/30/2017)
Sichun Liu (5/31/2019)
John Duffield (8/9/2021)
Related Cases
People
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5345890/parties/united-states-v-desoto-parish-school/
Ainsworth, Robert Andrew Jr. (Louisiana)
Bell, Griffin Boyette (Georgia)
Brennan, William Joseph Jr. (District of Columbia)
Brown, John Robert (Louisiana)
Blanchard, John Richard (Louisiana)
Ainsworth, Robert Andrew Jr. (Louisiana)
Bell, Griffin Boyette (Georgia)
Brennan, William Joseph Jr. (District of Columbia)
Brown, John Robert (Louisiana)
Carswell, George Harrold (Florida)
Coleman, James Plemon (Louisiana)
Dawkins, Benjamin Cornwell Jr. (Louisiana)
Gewin, Walter Pettus (Alabama)
Godbold, John Cooper (Louisiana)
Goldberg, Irving Loeb (Louisiana)
Hicks, S. Maurice Jr. (Louisiana)
Hunter, Edwin Ford Jr. (Louisiana)
James, Robert Gillespie (Louisiana)
Morgan, Lewis Render (Georgia)
Putnam, Richard Johnson (Louisiana)
Simpson, John Milton Bryan (Florida)
Cummings, Torey B. (District of Columbia)
Dallo, Amanda K. (District of Columbia)
Doar, John (District of Columbia)
Finley, Stephanie A. (Louisiana)
Jennings, Daniel L. (District of Columbia)
Joiner, Courtney Terell (Louisiana)
Kassabian, Tamara Hardney (District of Columbia)
Marshall, Franz (District of Columbia)
McCree, Wade Hampton Jr. (Michigan)
Michaud, Melissa Julia (District of Columbia)
Perez, Thomas E. (District of Columbia)
Shaheen, Edward L. (Louisiana)
Thomas, David Jeffery (Louisiana)
Verlander, David E. (Louisiana)
Documents in the Clearinghouse
Docket
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/5345890/united-states-v-desoto-parish-school/
Last updated June 1, 2026, 10:45 p.m.
Case Details
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Jan. 11, 1967
Case Ongoing: Yes
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
United States Department of Justice
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Attorney Organizations:
U.S. Dept. of Justice Civil Rights Division
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
School District
Desoto Parish School Board
Defendant Type(s):
Facility Type(s):
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Title VI, Civil Rights Act of 1964, 42 U.S.C. § 2000d et seq.
Constitutional Clause(s):
Other Dockets:
Western District of Louisiana 5:67-cv-12589
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 67-23345
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 67-23116
Supreme Court of the United States 78-458
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 68-26501
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 68-26544
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 68-26452
Western District of Louisiana 09981
Western District of Louisiana 12924
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 69-15556
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 69-02921
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 70-28788
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 76-03471
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 69-26285
U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit 69-27983
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff OR Mixed
Relief Granted:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Form of Settlement:
Court Approved Settlement or Consent Decree
Content of Injunction:
Develop anti-discrimination policy
Goals (e.g., for hiring, admissions)
Implement complaint/dispute resolution process
Other requirements regarding hiring, promotion, retention
Issues
General/Misc.:
Staff (number, training, qualifications, wages)
Discrimination Area:
Discrimination Basis:
Affected Race(s):
Case Summary of U.S. v. Desoto Parish School Board, Civil Rights Litig. Clearinghouse, https://clearinghouse.net/case/13760/ (last updated 8/9/2021).