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Judge Ends DeSoto Parish Desegregation Case After DOJ and Louisiana Sought Dismissal

The move reflects the Trump administration’s push to wind down long-running federal oversight of Louisiana school districts.

FILE - A group of African American students, left, enter the Boothville-Venice School in Plaquemines Parish, La., on Sept. 12, 1966, as a group of white mothers wait at the entrance of the school. (AP Photo/Jack Thornell, File)
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Overview

  • U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr. on Jan. 5 dismissed the 1967 case with prejudice, closing nearly six decades of court supervision.
  • The order followed a Dec. 30 joint motion by the Justice Department, Attorney General Liz Murrill, and the DeSoto Parish School Board to terminate the decree.
  • The case was closed in less than a week without a public hearing, with filings citing no disputes since 2014 and DOJ site reviews in 2018 and 2024.
  • Officials contend the orders are outdated and burden local governance, while civil-rights groups argue ongoing disparities warrant continued court oversight.
  • The decision mirrors a recent dismissal in Plaquemines Parish and arrives as similar efforts continue statewide, including a contested bid in Concordia Parish.