BLACK FARMERS AND AGRICULTURALISTS ASSOCIATION, INC.; THOMAS BURRELL; MARY FERGUSON; CLAUDETTE JACKSON; MAUZIE FURLOW; ALLIE TILLIS v. BROOKE ROLLINS, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture; ZACH DUCHENEAUX, Administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency - Articles

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BLACK FARMERS AND AGRICULTURALISTS ASSOCIATION, INC.; THOMAS BURRELL; MARY FERGUSON; CLAUDETTE JACKSON; MAUZIE FURLOW; ALLIE TILLIS v. BROOKE ROLLINS, Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture; ZACH DUCHENEAUX, Administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Service Agency

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Oct 8, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Percy Squire, PERCY SQUIRE, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellants. Jack Starcher, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Appellees.

Attorneys 2: ON BRIEF: Percy Squire, PERCY SQUIRE, Columbus, Ohio, for Appellants.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Charles W. Scarborough, Casen B. Ross, UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE, Washington, D.C., for Appellees.

Judge(s): WHITE, READLER, and MATHIS, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Western District of Tennessee at Memphis

READLER, Circuit Judge. The Black Farmers and Agriculturalists Association and several individual members (together “the Farmers”) sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture, challenging the agency’s policy of disallowing applications to one of its programs filed on behalf of deceased relatives, which the Farmers wished to do here. The district court dismissed their lawsuit, holding that the relevant statute required the USDA to accept applications from living farmers only. We agree, and thus affirm the district court.

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