Linklaters teams up with ACLU of Louisiana in lawsuit against unconstitutional policing
Filed on behalf of two men racially profiled by the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office
Linklaters has partnered with the American Civil Liberties Union of Louisiana (ACLU) to file a federal lawsuit in the District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana against the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office for unconstitutional policing.
The lawsuit has been filed on behalf of two Black men in Bogalusa, Louisiana who were racially profiled and unjustly interrogated by deputies from the St. Tammany Parish Sheriff’s Office. The ACLU’s complaint asserts violations of their rights under the Fourth Amendment, Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Louisiana Constitution, and Louisiana state common and statutory laws for the officers’ unlawful and unreasonable seizures, unlawful detention, and the racial discrimination suffered by both plaintiffs.
Adam Lurie, Head of Linklaters’ U.S. Dispute Resolution practice, commented, “We are proud to support the ACLU’s Justice Lab in this important pro bono matter and in its continued fight against the daily injustices people of color face in this country. Unconstitutional policing and racial profiling are wrong, dehumanizing, and harmful to our democracy.”
Nora Ahmed, ACLU of Louisiana’s Legal Director added, “This case demonstrates a continued prevalence of what appears to be nothing more than a pattern of racial profiling in Louisiana. Our clients were stopped in a predominantly white area by officers from an agency that has a documented track record of targeting Black people. This is a textbook case of why people took to the streets in 2020 and why, sadly, this nation and our state still have so far to go.”
The Linklaters team was led by U.S. associates Ellen Gong and Elizabeth Raulston with assistance from associates Nolan Bouchane, Jarrett Field, Zoe Lillian, Lillian Childress, and Olivia Lin. Adam Lurie served as the supervising partner.
The ACLU of Louisiana’s Justice Lab: Putting Racist Policing on Trial is an intensive litigation and storytelling effort to challenge racially discriminatory policing practices and combat police violence against people of color. The campaign enlists law firms and law school legal clinics in bringing cases challenging racially-motivated stops and seizures under the Fourth and Fourteenth Amendments and any other applicable laws.
