Concordia Parish case closes after six decades under court supervision
The Concordia Parish School Board had operated under federal supervision since the 1960s after being ordered to eliminate all vestiges of segregation. Tuesday’s ruling from the 5th Circuit ends that oversight, clearing the district to manage its schools without reporting to a federal court.
The Justice Department spent decades litigating to enforce desegregation orders across the South, including in Concordia Parish. Under President Donald Trump, the department reversed course and sought dismissal of remaining cases, arguing that the old court decrees represented federal overreach into local school governance. Louisiana officials agreed that the mandates were no longer needed.
“The good people of Concordia Parish elected their school board to govern their schools — not unelected federal judges,” Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said in announcing the ruling Tuesday. “Today’s decision puts that authority back where it belongs.”