Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, RISE St. James v. St. James Parish, et al
Date Filed:
March 21, 2023
Current Status
Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, and RISE St. James filed suit in federal district court in New Orleans against St. James Parish on March 21, 2023. In November 2023, federal district court Judge Carl Barbier ruled that the claims were barred by the statute of limitations and dismissed the case. Exactly one year after filing this historic case, plaintiffs appealed the court's decision to the U.S. Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Oral argument on the appeal is scheduled for October 7, 2024.
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Pamela Spees
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Baher Azmy
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Astha Sharma Pokharel
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Celine Zhu
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Dominic Renfrey
Co-Counsel
Bill Quigley, Cooperating Counsel
Devin Lowell
Clara Potter
Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
Counsel for RISE St. James
Client(s)
Inclusive Louisiana
Mount Triumph Baptist Church
Case Description
Inclusive Louisiana, Mount Triumph Baptist Church, and RISE St. James brought this action against St. James Parish for its decades of environmental racism and discriminatory siting of industrial facilities in predominantly Black communities in the Parish. The lawsuit seeks a moratorium on all new sitings of industrial facilities and expansions of existing facilities, protection of unmarked cemeteries of people once enslaved in the Parish, and a court-monitored process involving directly-affected communities to help assess remediation and guide transformation.
Court of appeals allows case to move forward
April 9, 2025
Court of appeals allows case to move forward
June 26, 2024
Plaintiffs' reply brief
Plaintiffs file their reply brief responding to defendant St. James Parish's arguments.
Defendant's appellate brief
May 22, 2024
Defendant's appellate brief
St. James Parish files its appellate brief.
Plaintiffs' opening appellate brief
March 21, 2024
Plaintiffs' opening appellate brief
Plaintiff-appellants file their brief appealing the district court's ruling, arguing that the decades-long racial and religious discrimination they face is a continuing violation not barred by the statute of limitations, and that they have standing to assert their right to protect their historic and cultural origins under the Louisiana Constitution and to practice their religion free of government-imposed substantial burdens.
Court's ruling on defendants' motions to strike and dismiss
November 16, 2023
Court's ruling on defendants' motions to strike and dismiss
The federal district court denies defendants' motion to strike the entirety of plaintiffs' complaint but dismisses their ongoing racial and religious discrimination claims as barred by the statute of limitations.
Plaintiffs' opposition to parish's motions to strike and dismiss
August 14, 2023
Plaintiffs' opposition to parish's motions to strike and dismiss
Plaintiffs file a brief demonstrating why their claims should not be dismissed and why the complaint should not be struck because it details the long history of discrimination, which began with slavery, continued through Jim Crow, and today results in majority-Black districts in the parish having among the highest risks of cancer and other illnesses in the country.
July 17, 2023
Amended complaint
June 16, 2023
Parish motion to dismiss
Defendants submit a motion to strike the allegations and dismiss claims.
March 21, 2023
Complaint filed
Plaintiffs sue St. James Parish for its long history of environmental racism and intentional discrimination in the siting of heavy industrial facilities in majority Black parts of the Parish.
Last modified: April 9, 2025
