A federal appellate court in New Orleans is scheduled to hear oral arguments in a civil rights lawsuit on Monday. The lawsuit alleges that St. James Parish in south Louisiana engaged in racist land-use policies to place polluting industries in majority-Black communities.
The lawsuit, filed by community groups including Inclusive Louisiana, Rise St. James, and Mt. Triumph Baptist Church, claims that the parish intentionally discriminated against Black residents by encouraging industrial facilities to be built in areas with predominantly Black populations while sparing White residents from the risk of environmental harm.
