Case: U.S. v. Hinds County School District

3:00-04075 | U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Mississippi

Filed Date: 1976

Clearinghouse coding in progress

Case Summary

{MORE TK ON THE INITIATION OF THIS LAWSUIT}This matter was consolidated with twenty-four other school desegregation cases in the Southern District of Mississippi under the name United States v. Hinds County School Board. All the district judges in the Southern District of Mississippi heard the issue together, and in an unavailable en banc district court opinion, allowed the continued use of a freedom of choice plan to desegregate the schools. The Fifth Circuit heard an appeal and reversed the d…

{MORE TK ON THE INITIATION OF THIS LAWSUIT}

This matter was consolidated with twenty-four other school desegregation cases in the Southern District of Mississippi under the name United States v. Hinds County School Board. All the district judges in the Southern District of Mississippi heard the issue together, and in an unavailable en banc district court opinion, allowed the continued use of a freedom of choice plan to desegregate the schools. The Fifth Circuit heard an appeal and reversed the district court’s decision, holding that freedom of choice plans were insufficient to desegregate the schools and establish a unitary system. The Fifth Circuit reasoned that since all of the school districts, including Covington County, continued to operate all-black schools, the freedom of choice plans had to be abandoned and other methods, like zoning and pairing, would be used to desegregate schools instead. The Fifth Circuit remanded the case to the district court and ordered the school districts to submit new desegregation plans to the district court. Additionally, the Fifth Circuit requested that the U.S. Department of Health, Education, and Welfare (HEW) assist the school districts as they prepared their new desegregation plans. U.S. v. Hinds County School District, 417 F.2d 852 (5th Cir. 1969) (per curiam).

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Related Cases

United States v. Covington County School District, Southern District of Mississippi (1966)

30 Related School Desegregation Cases in the Southern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi (1966)

People


Attorney for Plaintiff

Fiss, Owen M. (District of Columbia)

Attorney for Defendant

Barnett, Walter W. (District of Columbia)

Days, Drew S. III (District of Columbia)

Gross, Mark L. (District of Columbia)

McCree, Wade Hampton Jr. (Michigan)

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Documents in the Clearinghouse

Document

77-00960

Brief for the United States in Opposition

United States v. Clinton Municipal Separate School District

Supreme Court of the United States

March 20, 1978

March 20, 1978

Pleading / Motion / Brief

Docket

Last updated March 5, 2024, 3:09 a.m.

Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.

Case Details

State / Territory: Mississippi

Case Type(s):

School Desegregation

Special Collection(s):

Civil Rights Division Archival Collection

Key Dates

Filing Date: 1976