IN THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE FIFTH CIRCUIT _____________________

No. 02-30636 Summary Calendar _____________________

ERIC GANT, Plaintiff - Appellant,

versus

CADDO BOSSIER ASSOCIATION FOR RETARDED CHILDREN, also known as A R C Caddo Bossier, Defendant - Appellee. _________________________________________________________________

Appeal from the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana (01-CV-1527) _________________________________________________________________ November 27, 2002

Before JOLLY, HIGGINBOTHAM, and DAVIS, Circuit Judges.

PER CURIAM:*

Eric Gant appeals the district court’s summary judgment

dismissing his claims of racially discriminatory failure to promote

and retaliatory discharge. In a thorough and well-reasoned

opinion, the district court held that Gant’s former employer, Caddo

Bossier Association for Retarded Children, was entitled to summary

judgment because Gant did not offer any evidence that his former

employer’s proffered reason for failing to promote him -- that is,

that the candidate selected was better qualified than Gant -- was

a pretext for racial discrimination. With regard to Gant’s

* Pursuant to 5TH CIR. R. 47.5, the Court has determined that this opinion should not be published and is not precedent except under the limited circumstances set forth in 5TH CIR. R. 47.5.4. retaliation claim, the district court held that Gant did not engage

in any “protected activity.”

Based on our consideration of the briefs and our de novo

review of the summary judgment record, we conclude that the

district court committed no reversible error in granting summary

judgment in favor of Caddo Bossier Association for Retarded

Children. We therefore AFFIRM the summary judgment, essentially

for the reasons stated in the district court’s Memorandum Ruling.

See Gant v. Caddo Bossier Association for Retarded Children a/k/a

The ARC of Caddo-Bossier, No. 01-1527 (W.D. La. May 22, 2002).

A F F I R M E D.

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