NEW ORLEANS - A lawsuit challenging industrial expansion in St. James Parish was heard by a federal judge Wednesday.

A lawsuit was filed by RISE St James, Inclusive Louisiana, and Mount Triumph Baptist Church in 2023 against St. James Parish officials, accusing officials of intentionally approving industrial plants that pollute black neighborhoods.

The parish's motion to dismiss the lawsuit was argued on Wednesday, the groups said.

"This lawsuit is about stopping more harmful industries from coming into St. James Parish and stopping the expansions of the existing ones," Gail LeBoeuf, Co-Director of Inclusive Louisiana said. 

WBRZ previously covered how the case returned to lower courts after the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear the case.