Filed Date: April 24, 2025
Closed Date: April 30, 2025
Clearinghouse coding in progress
(This summary is temporary, while we research the case.) The United States brought this school desegregation case in 1966 against the Plaquemines Parish School Board. It 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. 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."
Apparently, however, 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. She said the paperwork was a burden for her district of fewer than 4,000 students."
On April 22, 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice and the defendants stipulated jointly to dismiss the case. 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."
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 Sept. 17, 2025, 4:15 p.m.
State / Territory: Louisiana
Case Type(s):
Special Collection(s):
Trump Administration 2.0: Litigation and Investigations Involving the Government
Key Dates
Filing Date: April 24, 2025
Closing Date: April 30, 2025
Case Details
Available Documents: