3 Southern courthouses designated historic places

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NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The National Park Service says the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals building in New Orleans and courthouses in Georgia and Alabama have been named national historic landmarks for their contributions to civil rights.

The announcement Monday said the other two are the Elbert Parr Tuttle U.S. Court of Appeals Building in Atlanta and the Frank M. Johnson Jr. Federal Building and U.S. Courthouse in Montgomery, Alabama.

The 5th Circuit had jurisdiction over six Southern states in the 1950s and `60s – Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and three that were split off in 1980 – Georgia, Alabama and Florida.

Officials say the courthouses were involved in several cases that were pivotal in the civil rights movement including the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Selma-to-Montgomery march, desegregation of public schools and more.

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