SHREVEPORT, La. — The State of Louisiana, the U.S. Department of Justice and the Bossier Parish School Board have jointly asked a federal judge to end more than six decades of court oversight of the Bossier Parish School District, potentially bringing one of Louisiana’s longest-running school desegregation cases to a close.
The joint motion, filed June 12 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana, asks the court to dissolve all remaining injunctions, terminate federal supervision and dismiss the case with prejudice. The litigation began in 1964, when a federal court issued its original desegregation order.
According to the filing, the Bossier Parish School Board has demonstrated compliance with court orders during more than 60 years of monitoring by the court and the Department of Justice. The motion states that there has been no contested litigation between the parties for more than 20 years.
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill said the request reflects longstanding compliance by the school district and the principle that federal oversight of local school systems is intended to be temporary.
The motion outlines the school district’s compliance in several areas, including student assignment policies, faculty and staff assignment practices, reporting requirements and other obligations imposed under previous court orders. The filing notes that the district implemented attendance zone changes approved by the court in 2019 and that the Justice Department has not objected to construction, zoning and facility notices submitted by the school board in recent years.
The parties also cited the district’s continued submission of biannual reports and its compliance with faculty and staff assignment requirements. The filing states that federal officials reviewed district data and conducted interviews with administrators during the monitoring process.
If approved by U.S. District Judge S. Maurice Hicks Jr., the order would end all remaining federal oversight of the Bossier Parish School District and formally conclude a case that has been pending since the civil rights era. The motion is currently awaiting a ruling from the court.