Filed Date: Feb. 26, 1960
Closed Date: 1961
Clearinghouse coding complete
On February 26, 1960, a thirteen-year-old African American juvenile filed a lawsuit on behalf of himself and others similarly situated against the Maryland Board of Public Welfare and the Boards of Managers of the Maryland Training School, Boys' Village, Montrose School for Girls, and Barrett School for Girls. The claim, arising under the Fourteenth Amendment, asked for declaratory relief from the reformatory schools' policy of racial segregation. The Baltimore City Circuit Court (Judge Charles E. Moylan) granted declaratory relief to the plaintiff on July 6, 1960, holding that the schools' racial segregation policies were in violation of the Fourteenth Amendment and adverse to the Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, 347 U.S. 483 (1954).
The defendants appealed, arguing that a reformatory school was more analogous to a prison than a public school and, thus, the Brown decision was inapplicable. The Maryland Court of Appeals (Judge Henderson) affirmed and modified the District Court's ruling. State Board of Public Welfare v. Myers, 167 A.2d 765 (Md. 1961). The Court held that the Fourteenth Amendment bars racial segregation in state-run schools regardless of their type. However, because the defendant was ineligible for admission to two of the schools on account of his sex, he lacked standing as to the operation of these schools for girls. The decree was modified to include only the Board of Maryland Training School and the Board of Public Welfare on February 1, 1961.
Summary Authors
Stacey Jensen (5/16/2006)
Crum v. State Training School for Girls, Northern District of Alabama (1969)
Brune, Frederick W. (Maryland)
Hammond, Hall (Maryland)
Henderson, William L. (Maryland)
Dearing, Tucker R. (Maryland)
Greenberg, Jack (New York)
Brune, Frederick W. (Maryland)
Hammond, Hall (Maryland)
Henderson, William L. (Maryland)
Horney, William R. (Maryland)
Prescott, Stedman (Maryland)
Last updated Aug. 30, 2023, 1:29 p.m.
Docket sheet not available via the Clearinghouse.State / Territory: Maryland
Case Type(s):
Key Dates
Filing Date: Feb. 26, 1960
Closing Date: 1961
Case Ongoing: No
Plaintiffs
Plaintiff Description:
African-American juveniles at five Maryland reform schools
Public Interest Lawyer: No
Filed Pro Se: No
Class Action Sought: Yes
Class Action Outcome: Granted
Defendants
Maryland Board of Public Welfare, State
Maryland Training Schools, State
Case Details
Available Documents:
Outcome
Prevailing Party: Mixed
Nature of Relief:
Injunction / Injunctive-like Settlement
Source of Relief:
Order Duration: 1960 - 0
Issues
General:
Discrimination-basis:
Affected Sex or Gender:
Type of Facility: