Eastern District of Louisiana

Eastern District of Louisiana. The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana is a federal trial court with jurisdiction over the southeastern region of the state. Its headquarters are located in New Orleans, and it exercises authority over the parishes of Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington. The court is part of the Fifth Circuit and has played a central role in adjudicating major cases related to Hurricane Katrina, environmental disasters, and civil rights.

History

The court was established on March 26, 1804, by the 8th United States Congress, following the Louisiana Purchase and the creation of the Territory of Orleans. Its early docket was dominated by admiralty and prize cases due to the vital port of New Orleans. During the American Civil War, the court's operations were interrupted by the Union Army occupation of the city. The Reconstruction era saw significant litigation concerning Confiscation Acts and civil rights under the Enforcement Acts. The 20th century brought cases involving the Great Mississippi Flood of 1927, desegregation following Brown v. Board of Education, and political corruption trials. In the 21st century, it became the focal point for the massive consolidated litigation stemming from the Deepwater Horizon explosion and the levee failure lawsuits after Hurricane Katrina.

Organization

The court is authorized twelve Article III judgeships, which include the chief judge and several senior judges. The court's clerk's office is based in the Hale Boggs Federal Building. It operates several divisional offices, though most proceedings are centralized in New Orleans. The court falls under the appellate jurisdiction of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, and cases may be appealed further to the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, currently led by Duane A. Evans, prosecutes federal crimes. The federal public defender office provides defense services for indigent defendants.

Notable cases

The district has presided over numerous landmark proceedings. United States v. Cruikshank (1874), which arose from the Colfax massacre, was a pivotal Reconstruction-era case later appealed to the Supreme Court. In the 20th century, Judge J. Skelly Wright issued major desegregation orders for New Orleans Public Schools. The court managed the complex Chapter 11 bankruptcy of Texaco in 1987. Following Hurricane Katrina, it consolidated thousands of lawsuits against the United States Army Corps of Engineers regarding levee failures in the case *In re Katrina Canal Breaches Litigation*. Judge Carl J. Barbier oversaw the multi-district litigation for the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, resulting in a multi-billion dollar settlement with BP and other companies.

Courthouses

The primary seat is the United States Courthouse at 500 Poydras Street in New Orleans, a building listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The court also utilizes the adjacent Hale Boggs Federal Building and the John Minor Wisdom United States Court of Appeals Building. A divisional courthouse operates in Covington for the St. Tammany and Washington parishes area. Historically, the court has been housed in locations such as the Spanish Custom House and the Old U.S. Mint building following the destruction of earlier courthouses by fire.

Current judges

As of the current date, the court's active Article III judges include Chief Judge Nannette Jolivette Brown, appointed by President Barack Obama, and Judges Lance Africk, Barry W. Ashe, Greg G. Guidry, Wendy Vitter, and Jane Triche Milazzo. Senior judges, who continue to hear cases with a reduced docket, include Ivan L.R. Lemelle, Mary Ann Vial Lemmon, Stanwood Duval, Helen G. Berrigan, and Eldon E. Fallon. Magistrate judges, such as Donna Phillips Currault, handle pretrial matters and certain trials with consent of the parties. Vacancies are filled by nomination from the President of the United States and confirmation by the United States Senate.

Category:United States district courts Category:Louisiana law Category:1804 establishments in the United States