A FEDERAL US court heard arguments today, alleging a south Louisiana parish engaged in racist land-use policies to place polluting industrial facilities in majority-black communities.

The Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals, New Orleans, is reviewing a case filed by groups claiming St James Parish “intentionally discriminated against black residents” by encouraging development in areas with predominantly black populations, “while explicitly sparing white residents from the risk of environmental harm.”

The groups Inclusive Louisiana, Rise St James and Mt Triumph Baptist Church, are seeking to halt future industrial development in the parish.