Louisiana
Singleton v. Cannizzaro
learn about our work in Louisiana
Singleton v. Cannizzaro
Smart Justice
The ACLU Trone Center for Justice and Equality, ACLU of Louisiana, and Civil Rights Corps, filed suit against District Attorney Leon Cannizzaro, his office in Orleans Parish, Louisiana, and several Assistant District Attorneys for systematically breaking the laws of Louisiana and of the U.S. Constitution.
learn about our work in Louisiana
Stay informed about our latest work in the courts
By completing this form, I agree to receive occasional emails per the terms of the ACLU's privacy statement.
All Cases
13 Louisiana Cases
Louisiana
Jan 2016
Yarls v. Bunton
The ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of criminal defendants in Orleans Parish who are unable to afford an attorney. The suit attacks Louisiana’s chronic underfunding of its public defender system.
Status: Ongoing
View case
Louisiana
Criminal Law Reform
Yarls v. Bunton
The ACLU Criminal Law Reform Project has filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of criminal defendants in Orleans Parish who are unable to afford an attorney. The suit attacks Louisiana’s chronic underfunding of its public defender system.
Jan 2016
Status: Ongoing
View case
Louisiana
Mar 2014
Lane v. Sabine Parish School Board
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Louisiana have filed a federal lawsuit against a public school in Sabine Parish that harassed a non-Christian student and has a long history of proselytizing students and promoting religion. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two parents, Scott and Sharon Lane, and their three children, including their son, C.C., who is a Buddhist of Thai heritage.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
View case
Louisiana
Religious Liberty
Lane v. Sabine Parish School Board
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Louisiana have filed a federal lawsuit against a public school in Sabine Parish that harassed a non-Christian student and has a long history of proselytizing students and promoting religion. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of two parents, Scott and Sharon Lane, and their three children, including their son, C.C., who is a Buddhist of Thai heritage.
Mar 2014
Status: Closed (Judgment)
View case
Louisiana
Oct 2012
Damon Thibodeaux: A Case of False Confession
Damon A. Thibodeaux was exonerated in 2012 after 15 years on death row in Louisiana. DNA and other evidence proved he did not commit the crime of raping and murdering his young cousin to which he originally confessed. His confession came at the end of nine hours of police interrogation; he was exhausted when it began and beyond confused by the time he issued a confession riddled with mistakes of fact, and containing only information he had received from the police or conjecture.
View case
Louisiana
Smart Justice
Capital Punishment
Damon Thibodeaux: A Case of False Confession
Damon A. Thibodeaux was exonerated in 2012 after 15 years on death row in Louisiana. DNA and other evidence proved he did not commit the crime of raping and murdering his young cousin to which he originally confessed. His confession came at the end of nine hours of police interrogation; he was exhausted when it began and beyond confused by the time he issued a confession riddled with mistakes of fact, and containing only information he had received from the police or conjecture.
Oct 2012
View case
U.S. Supreme Court
Oct 2011
Doe v. Vermilion Parish School Board
On September 8, 2009, the ACLU Women’s Rights Project and the ACLU of Louisiana filed a lawsuit in a federal district court in Louisiana challenging the Vermilion Parish School District’s illegal sex segregation policy. The lawsuit charged that mandatory sex segregation in public schools violated Title IX of the Education Amendments, the Equal Education Opportunities Act and the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a parent whose two children were placed in sex segregated classrooms without being offered equal coeducational options as required by law.
View case
U.S. Supreme Court
Smart Justice
Women's Rights
Doe v. Vermilion Parish School Board
On September 8, 2009, the ACLU Women’s Rights Project and the ACLU of Louisiana filed a lawsuit in a federal district court in Louisiana challenging the Vermilion Parish School District’s illegal sex segregation policy. The lawsuit charged that mandatory sex segregation in public schools violated Title IX of the Education Amendments, the Equal Education Opportunities Act and the U.S. Constitution. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of a parent whose two children were placed in sex segregated classrooms without being offered equal coeducational options as required by law.
Oct 2011
View case
U.S. Supreme Court
Aug 2010
Connick v. Thompson
Whether someone who spent 14 years on death row before his murder conviction was overturned because the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence can recover damages from the prosecutor’s office on a theory that it failed to train its staff regarding their constitutional obligations.
Status: Closed (Judgment)
View case
U.S. Supreme Court
Smart Justice
+2 Issues
Connick v. Thompson
Whether someone who spent 14 years on death row before his murder conviction was overturned because the prosecution withheld exculpatory evidence can recover damages from the prosecutor’s office on a theory that it failed to train its staff regarding their constitutional obligations.
Aug 2010
Status: Closed (Judgment)
View case