After years of seeking redress from the parish council, St. James Parish residents have now taken their case to federal court. Since September of 2019, the plaintiffs, Inclusive Louisiana, Rise St. James, and Mt. Triumph Baptist Church, have requested a moratorium on the construction of new petrochemical plants and related infrastructure after the council approved a large number of new facilities and expansions. Rather than responding to citizens’ concerns, the council has continued to approve more petrochemical plants – and to pack them within the majority-Black 4th and 5th districts.