Stanwood Duval

Who is Stanwood Duval?

Stanwood Richardson Duval, Jr., is a former U.S. District Court judge in the Eastern District of Louisiana. He was appointed by U.S. President Bill Clinton in 1994, with his chambers in his native New Orleans.

Judge Duval is best known for having issued an injunction in 2000 which barred the State of Louisiana from issuing "Choose Life" vanity automobile license plates, as the legislature had approved in 1999. Duval ruled in favor of Planned Parenthood of America, which took the view that the choice of displaying the plates violated the First Amendment to the United States Constitution because there was no alternative display available for supporters of abortion. Judge Duval's opinion was unanimously reversed by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans on April 13, 2005. A petition for rehearing en banc was filed by the plaintiffs, and it was denied by an eight to eight vote of a divided court.