NEW ORLEANS – The Trump administration’s Department of Justice (DOJ) is aligned with Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill in seeking to end the federal consent decree governing the New Orleans Police Department (NOPD) which was established in 2012 after a civil rights investigation found a pattern of unconstitutional policing incidents.
U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, who has presided over the federal case United States of America v. City of New Orleans since 2012, said she would agree to end the decree if the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals returns the case to her. Earlier this year, Morgan denied the city’s request to terminate the decree and instead placed the NOPD in a two-year “sustainment period” to demonstrate that its reforms could endure. The city appealed the ruling, temporarily shifting the case to the Fifth Circuit, but Morgan has since said she will grant termination if the appeals court returns the case given the Trump administration’s position.
While Mayor-elect Helena Moreno may differ from Mayor LaToya Cantrell on this issue — Cantrell directed the city’s effort to terminate the consent decree in 2023 — the matter is now largely out of City Hall’s hands. The decree’s fate ultimately rests with U.S. District Judge Susie Morgan, who continues to oversee the NOPD’s federally mandated reforms.
The Oversight Contradiction
The DOJ has already pushed to terminate consent decrees in Minneapolis and Louisville and closed or withdrawn investigations in cities including Phoenix, Memphis, and Oklahoma City. While the Trump administration maintains that consent decrees are no longer necessary, it has simultaneously backed the deployment of National Guard troops to cities it portrays as struggling with crime.
Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry’s request for federal forces in New Orleans highlights the contradiction between state and federal claims that local consent decrees are no longer necessary and their simultaneous calls for National Guard intervention to address violent crime.
“We have had unprecedented reduction in crime and violence in New Orleans,” said Mayor-elect Helena Moreno at a City Council meeting in September, adding, “I will fight to prevent any federal takeover of New Orleans.” Her comments reflect the city’s improving public-safety record and resistance to outside intervention.
As of October, New Orleans has recorded 106 homicide victims year-to-date — 1% lower than 2024, 43% lower than 2023, and 52% lower than 2022 — with carjackings down 30% and nonfatal shootings down 11% compared to last year.
Public Debate Over the Decree
Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill has consistently argued that continued federal oversight is unnecessary and has urged the court to end the decree.
Civil rights advocates, however, have urged caution. In a January statement, the ACLU of Louisiana said, “Alarmingly, from 2016 through 2023, Black residents accounted for over 80% of use-of-force incidents, despite comprising only 57% of New Orleans’ population, according to the 2020 census.”
The group went on to commend the court’s handling of the case but sharply criticized state officials for seeking to end federal oversight.
“We commend the judiciary for maintaining independence in this ruling, carefully considering the first-hand accounts of the DOJ, the NOPD, and public comments from citizens,” the statement continued. “This decision stands in contrast to the overreach by Attorney General Liz Murrill, who intervened to represent the City of New Orleans and called for an abrupt end to the consent decree. For the people of New Orleans, bias-free policing is, and must remain, central to the NOPD’s mission.”
Potential Impact on Tourism of Federal Troops
The widening gap between political narratives and public safety data carries consequences far beyond the courtroom. Despite significant declines in violent crime, state and federal portrayals of New Orleans as unsafe risk undermining investor confidence, visitor perception, and resident morale.
In Washington, D.C., the federal takeover and visible troop presence have already raised concerns among travel and hospitality groups, with some reporting reduced restaurant reservations, lower foot traffic, and a drop in international visitors. Tourism leaders point to experiences in cities like Washington, D.C., where heightened militarization was followed by declines in foot traffic and international visitation, warning that similar optics could harm New Orleans’ image as a welcoming destination.
