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ARTICLE · 23 APRIL 2025

Fifth Circuit Rules Groups May Continue Suit Alleging Environmental Discrimination In St. James Parish

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The Groups originally sued St. James Parish in federal district court in March 2023, alleging that the Parish discriminates against them by directing hazardous industrial facility development towards majority-Black districts and Black churches where their members and congregants live...

United StatesEnvironment
Greg L. Johnson
Greg L. Johnson
Clare Bienvenu
Clare Bienvenu
Colin North
Colin North
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On April 9, 2025, the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that faith- and community-based groups1 (the "Groups") representing certain residents of St. James Parish, Louisiana, may continue with their suit seeking a moratorium on the construction and expansion of industrial facilities in the Parish. SeeInclusive Louisiana v. St. James Parish, No. 23-30908 (5th Cir. 2025).

The Groups originally sued St. James Parish in federal district court in March 2023, alleging that the Parish discriminates against them by directing hazardous industrial facility development towards majority-Black districts and Black churches where their members and congregants live. Additionally, the Groups argued that the Parish authorizes industrial development that destroys and restricts access to the cemeteries of their enslaved ancestors. As such, the Groups brought seven claims for violations of their constitutional and statutory civil rights, seeking, among other things,

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