Filed Date: April 28, 1961
Closed Date: Feb. 16, 1963
Clearinghouse coding complete
On April 28, 1961, the U.S Attorney General sued the State of Louisiana and the Registrar of Voters for East Carroll Parish for creating policies that prevented Black people from exercising the right to register to vote. This action was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, and was assigned to Chief Judge Ben C. Dawkins, Jr. The Attorney General sought injunctive relief to end the systemic voter registration denial for persons of color.
As alleged in the complaint, by the end of the 1960, no persons of color had registered to vote in East Carroll Parish since 1922. Louisiana law required individuals to establish their identities to the "satisfaction of the registrar." The Registrar used this requirement to discriminate on the basis of race, permitting only people he "knew" to register, a requirement that favored white people. Eighteen persons of color attempted to register to vote, and were turned away for not having two white individuals who could "identify them."
The Court had jurisdiction pursuant to 42 U.S.C.A. § 1971(d), and the Attorney General had authorization under 42 U.S.C.A. § 1971(c) to stop the systemic denial of rights and privileges pursuant to 42 U.S.C. § 1971(a) and the 15th Amendment. The Registrar’s actions purposefully denied voter registration access on the basis of race by refusing to make reasonable inquiry to identify potential voters and rejecting reasonable proof of identification. The Court ordered the State of Louisiana; the Registrar of Voters of East Carroll Parish, the Registrar; the Registrar’s deputies, agents, officers, employees, and successors in office be enjoined from engaging in actions resulting in denying registration to eligible voters on the basis of race. This order prohibited the creation of exclusive means of identification requirements for certain races, and required defendants to file a progress report each month, including a list of new registrants, a list of transfers and statistical totals, and a list of the names, addresses, and races of all persons whose applications were rejected. Registration books and records also needed to be publicly available for inspection.
Summary Authors
Jillian Wolf (2/11/2025)
Claire Pollard (8/29/2025)
Christenberry, Herbert William (Louisiana)
Barrett, St. John (Louisiana)
Choppin, Gerald P. (Louisiana)
Buck, Carroll (Louisiana)
Chandler, Robert G. (Louisiana)
Last updated Aug. 28, 2022, 3:16 a.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Louisiana
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: April 28, 1961
Closing Date: Feb. 16, 1963
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
Attorney General
Plaintiff Type(s):
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Cecil Manning (East Carroll), County
Case Details
Causes of Action:
Civil Rights Act of 1957/1960, 52 U.S.C. § 10101 (previously 42 U.S.C. § 1971)
Constitutional Clause(s):
Privileges and/or Immunities Clauses
Available Documents:
Injunctive (or Injunctive-like) Relief
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Content of Injunction:
Order Duration: 1961 - 1963
Issues
Voting: