Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill secured another major victory today as another case of federal oversight involving the Bienville Parish School Board officially came to an end.

The case, United States v. Bienville Parish School Board, et al., was filed in 1966 and has been pending in federal court for six decades. Today, the parties filed a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal With Prejudice, formally bringing the case to a close.

The dismissal means the federal case against the Bienville Parish School Board is now over. The parties agreed to dismiss the case with prejudice, meaning the case is permanently dismissed.

“After 60 years, Bienville Parish finally has its school system back. Another one down, more to go. I’m proud to have worked with the Bienville Parish School Board and school system leaders, along with the U.S. Department of Justice, to get this done,” said Attorney General Liz Murrill.

"I feel that our board members voted to do what’s in the best interests of our students and schools. It is imperative that our board members think proactively and make decisions to ensure a better future for our communities. I would like to thank the AG’s office for giving our board an opportunity and the authority to move our school system forward. We will remain committed and continue our efforts to make Bienville Parish a great school system," said Leroy Hamilton, Superintendent of Bienville Parish Schools.

Today’s dismissal marks another significant step in Attorney General Murrill’s effort to bring decades-old federal court cases involving Louisiana schools to an end and return decision-making to local communities.

• In April 2025, following her office’s involvement, the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed its long-pending case against the Plaquemines Parish School Board.
• In January 2026, following the involvement of Attorney General Murrill’s office, the U.S. Department of Justice dismissed its long-pending case against the DeSoto Parish School Board and released the school board from the federal court order that had been in place since 1967.
• In July 2026, Attorney General Murrill secured a major victory before the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, which ordered the district court to end decades-old federal court oversight of the Concordia Parish School Board.
• Earlier this month, Bossier Parish became the latest Louisiana school system to move beyond decades-old federal court oversight after a Joint Stipulation of Dismissal With Prejudice was filed to bring the case to a close.
• Today, the Bienville Parish case became another decades-old federal case to come to an end.

Attorney General Murrill’s Solicitor General team, led by Solicitor General Ben Aguiñaga and Deputy Solicitor General Morgan Brungard, represented the Bienville Parish School Board’s interests in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Justice throughout the effort to bring the case to a close.

Read the stipulation of dismissal here.