Filed Date: Jan. 1, 1966
Closed Date: April 30, 2025
Clearinghouse coding complete
In 1954, the Supreme Court ruled in Brown v. Board of Education that segregated public schools were unconstitutional. However, Plaquemines Parish refused to desegregate, so the U.S. government brought suit in 1966 in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
This case was assigned to District Judge Christenberry. In August 1966, the court entered a preliminary injunction barring the defendants from discriminating on the basis of race or color. After substantial litigation, the plaintiffs won the action in 1971. The case resulted in a consent decree that mandated desegregation efforts for decades. In 1975, the district court concluded that "the relief provided in the court's orders had resulted in the elimination of the effects of past discrimination." The Court stated that it would "retain jurisdiction of the case for one year."
Implementation work continued; an Associated Press article stated that "Plaquemines Superintendent Shelley Ritz said Justice Department officials still visited every year as recently as 2023 and requested data on topics including hiring and discipline."
On April 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice and the defendants stipulated jointly to dismiss the half century old consent decree providing for the desgregation of public school in Plaquemines Parish, with prejudice. Their first filing stated that the because the stipulation was pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 41(a)(1)(A), it did not require a court order. Because Judge Christenberry had died (in 1975), the chief judge reassigned the case to a new judge--Brandon Long. The parties then refiled their stipulation on April 29, 2025, "out of an abundance of caution."
Summary Authors
Claire Pollard (11/11/2025)
For PACER's information on parties and their attorneys, see: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69939010/parties/united-states-v-plaquemines-parish-school-board/
Darlington, Andrew (Louisiana)
Geissler, R. Jonas (Louisiana)
Brungard, Morgan (Louisiana)
See docket on RECAP: https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/69939010/united-states-v-plaquemines-parish-school-board/
Last updated Nov. 19, 2025, 7:19 p.m.
State / Territory:
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Litigation and Investigations Involving the Government
Trump Administration 2.0: Reversing Course on Existing Litigation
Key Dates
Filing Date: Jan. 1, 1966
Closing Date: April 30, 2025
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
The U.S. government.
Plaintiff Type(s):
U.S. Dept of Justice plaintiff
Public Interest Lawyer: Yes
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: No
Class Action Outcome: Not sought
Defendants
Plaquemines Parish School Board (Plaquemines), County
Defendant Type(s):
Case Details
Other Dockets:
Eastern District of Louisiana 2:66-cv-00071
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Plaintiff
Relief Sought:
Relief Granted:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Content of Injunction:
Issues
General/Misc.:
Affected Race(s):