Trump administration’s effort to end 1960s school desegregation cases faces a hurdle

The Trump administration’s effort to dismantle long-standing school desegregation orders has hit a significant roadblock in Louisiana, where a federal judge has refused to terminate a case dating back to the 1960s.

Concordia Parish school system in central Louisiana, along with state officials, filed an appeal Tuesday after U.S. District Judge Dee Drell rejected their attempt to close a desegregation case that has been active since 1965. The case represents the first major challenge to the administration’s broader initiative to quickly end Civil Rights era legal proceedings.

The Concordia Parish case originated when Black families sued for access to previously all-white schools during the height of the Civil Rights movement. Decades later, several legal requirements from the original ruling remain in effect, with some community members arguing these court orders are still necessary to address educational inequities in predominantly Black schools.

In a surprising shift, the U.S. Justice Department, which historically fought to maintain such desegregation orders, is now supporting Louisiana officials who claim these cases are outdated and unnecessary. The department has joined state efforts to have these decades-old cases dismissed.

Judge Drell, a George W. Bush appointee, rejected a joint motion from Louisiana and the Justice Department seeking immediate dismissal of the Concordia case. The filing claimed all remaining parties believed the case was no longer necessary, though notably, it lacked signatures from any of the original plaintiff families, who are no longer actively involved in the litigation.

“At the heart of this case is public policy and the protection of others, and the court has been tasked with ensuring the resolution of this matter in accordance with long established legal precedent,” Drell wrote in his November 19 order. Rather than granting immediate dismissal, he offered the school district a formal hearing where it could prove it had fully dismantled state-sponsored racial segregation—the traditional legal standard for terminating such cases.

The Justice Department has already successfully used similar tactics in Louisiana’s Plaquemines Parish, where it managed to lift a 1966 desegregation order. In that instance, the judge who originally presided over the case had been deceased for decades. Department officials have indicated plans to pursue similar dismissals across the South.

Dozens of school desegregation cases from the 1960s remain active throughout Louisiana and other Southern states. Some are still being actively litigated, while others have seen minimal court activity for years but continue to govern school district policies.

Harmeet Dhillon, who leads the Justice Department’s civil rights division, has characterized these longstanding cases as federal overreach into local educational matters. She previously stated confidently that other similar cases would soon “bite the dust” as part of the administration’s broader effort.

The administration’s push to end these desegregation orders represents a significant reversal in federal civil rights enforcement. For decades, the Justice Department acted as a guardian of these court orders, ensuring school districts complied with integration requirements and addressed racial inequities. The shift has alarmed civil rights advocates who argue many districts have not fully addressed the systemic educational disparities these orders were designed to remedy.

The Concordia Parish appeal will likely serve as a bellwether for similar cases across the South, testing whether courts will permit expedited dismissals or require districts to demonstrate they’ve achieved the orders’ original aims of dismantling segregated school systems.

Both the school district and state officials declined to comment on their appeal when contacted by reporters.