Opinion ID: 743519
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Southern is Concerned with State-Wide as Opposed to Local Concerns

Text: 31 There can be no doubt that Southern's mission is predominantly (if not primarily) aimed at addressing matters of state-wide concern. Not only does Southern currently maintain state-funded campuses across the State (Baton Rouge, New Orleans, and Shreveport, La. R.S. 17:3216 (West 1982)), but it is also involved in a number of activities that benefit all citizens of Louisiana. 15 That Southern is only one of many state-funded schools does not deprive it of Eleventh Amendment immunity. See Delahoussaye, 937 F.2d at 148. 32 E. The Last Two Delahoussaye Factors--The Right to Sue or be Sued and the Right to Hold and Use Property 33 Only Southern's Board, and not the University itself, can sue or be sued. See La. R.S. 17:3351A(1) (West 1982); Muhammed, 715 F.Supp. at 733; see also Emoakemeh v. Southern Univ., 654 So.2d 474, 475 (La.Ct.App. 1st Cir.1995) (suing the State of Louisiana through the Southern University Board of Supervisors); Marson v. Northwestern State Univ., 607 So.2d 1093, 1095 (La.Ct.App.3d Cir.1992) (holding that plaintiff had no cause of action against Northwestern State University, but rather against the Board of Trustees, who under the constitution and statutes, is the right defendant under its supervisory powers (citing LA. CONST. art. 8, § 6 (West 1996) and La. R.S. 17:3351(A)(1))). Similarly, Southern's Board has the right to hold and use property, but the University itself does not. La. R.S. 17:3351A(6), (8), (9) (West 1982); Muhammed, 715 F.Supp. at 734. 34 However, just because Southern's Board can be sued and can hold and use property does not mean that these final two factors weigh against a finding of sovereign immunity. In fact, precisely the opposite is true. First, as we have noted, Louisiana has not waived its immunity from suit in federal court. See La.R.S. 13:5106A. Second, and perhaps most importantly, money judgments against the Board are paid by the State of Louisiana. See, e.g., Delahoussaye, 937 F.2d at 148 n. 6. Accordingly, the final two Delahoussaye factors do not prevent us from finding that Southern and its Board of Supervisors are entitled to Eleventh Amendment immunity.