KREWE OF ALADDIN
V.
JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF HARRY LEE
THE TOGA SOCIETY, INC. D/B/A KREWE
OF ALADDIN
VERSUS
JEFFERSON PARISH SHERIFF HARRY LEE, ET AL.
UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT FOR THE EASTERN DISTRICT OF
LOUISIANA
NO. 2003-2981; SEC. K; MAG. 3
CASE ISSUES & AREAS OF LAW:
· CONSTITUTIONAL
LAW
· CIVIL
RIGHTS
· FREEDOM
OF SPEECH
· EQUAL
PROTECTION
· INJUNCTIONS
· PAYMENT
OF A THING NOT DUE
WDSU REPORTS ON ALADDIN'S "MAJOR LEGAL VICTORY"
NEWS AND EVENTS
JUDGMENTS & MEDIA REPORTS ON THIS CASE
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Read the Court’s Reasons for Judgment, where the Judge ruled in favor of the plaintiff and took the extraordinary step of commending Mr. Lambert and trial counsel, Louis R. Koerner, Jr., for writing a “cogent and extremely well-briefed motion.”
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Download and listen to the Oral Argument in the appeal from the US 5th Circuit Court of Appeals website.
CASE INFORMATION
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As a result of this case, Sheriff Lee was forced to stop collecting the illegal police protection fee from Aladdin and from all other carnival krewes similarly situated. The krewe captains called this case "the case that saved Mardi Gras!"
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The Krewe was permanently relieved from the obligation to pay the illegal fee and the Krewe received a money judgment.
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This case was won by Mr. Lambert both in the trial court and in the US Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. As a result of this case, Jefferson Parish was forced to repeal the unconstitutional statute authorizing the Sheriff to charge the illegal fee and it is no longer charged to any of the Carnival krewes parading in Jefferson Parish.
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As a result of this case, Mardi Gras in Jefferson Parish remains “the greatest free show on Earth.”