In 1974, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) filed a lawsuit under 42 U.S.C. § 2000(b) against Madison Parish, Louisiana, in the U.S. District Court for the Western District Louisiana. The DOJ alleged that the Madison Parish Jail subjected inmates to unconstitutional conditions of confinement. Following discovery in 1974-5, the court set a trial date for Sept. 29-Oct. 2, 1975. However, before the case could go to trial, the parties reached a settlement, and in 1975, the district court (Judge Thomas E. Stagg, Jr.) entered a consent decree in the case, dismissing it without costs and without prejudice. The decree enjoined the defendants from segregating the Madison Parish Jail. We have no further information on the proceedings in this case.

Kristen Sagar - 09/09/2006


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