Supreme Court Rejects Public School Integration Plans

FOX News.com ^ | June 28, 2007

[Kaslin]

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected school diversity plans that take account of students' race in two major public school districts but left the door open for using race in limited circumstances.

The decision in cases affecting schools in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle could imperil similar plans in hundreds of districts nationwide, and it further restricts how public school systems may attain racial diversity.

The court split, 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts announcing the court's judgment. The court's four liberal justices dissented.

Yet Justice Anthony Kennedy would not go as far as the other four conservative justices, saying in a concurring opinion that race may be a component of school district plans designed to achieve diversity.

To the extent that Roberts' opinion can be interpreted to foreclose the use of race in any circumstance, Kennedy said, "I disagree with that reasoning."

He agreed with Roberts that the plans in Louisville and Seattle violated constitutional guarantees of equal protection.

The two school systems in Thursday's decisions employ slightly different methods of taking students' race into account when determining which school they will attend.

[Rick_Michael]

Anyone have the opinion?

[bill1952]

Good.

[EagleUSA]

It is FINALLY nice to see the RACISM taken out of school preferential treatment. Now, how do we get all the LIBERALISM out ???

[vetsvette]

I love the part about: If you want to end racial discrimination the first thing you have to do is stop discriminating on the basis of race. I forget the precise quote, so I paraphrase)

I’m sure that it will be a rare liberal that can see the wisdom in that notion.

[Bullish]

The dumbing down of our public schools meets a temporary roadblock.

VOUCHERS NOW!

[HEY4QDEMS]

With respect to the fairness doctrine, the following is the left’s inteligent perspective:

Racist, partisan, mean spirited, blah blah blah blah blah bla......................Global warming, Iraq, Border fence blah blah blah blah..............quagmire!!

[Colonel Kangaroo]

Full freedom of choice, including choice of education in the home. Time to end mandatory sentencing of children to inferior schools for twelve/thirteen year terms.

[Bullish]

Not to mention the billions and billions of tax payer dollars wasted on worthless "education" liberal indoctrination. It's outrageous!

[elizabetty]

I think it was

"To stop discrimination on the basis of race we have to stop discrimination on the basis of race."

[NonValueAdded]

This is FR; EVERYONE has an opinion. Oh, THE Opinion, the one from SCOTUS :) here: third one down

[elizabetty]

Here is the exact quote from the Chief:

"The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

[vetsvette]

Thanks, my age is showing, but at least I’m honest about it. LOL

[sportutegrl]

Does this mean the end of forced busing in school districts like East Baton Rouge Parish?

[Psycho_Bunny]

It’s linked in the Breaking News post.

[Rick_Michael]

Thank you and thank you.

[elizabetty]

Thanks, my age is showing, but at least I’m honest about it. LOL

You did pretty good.

Here is the money quote from Justice Thomas directed at Justice Breyer's dissent:

“Indeed, if our history has taught us anything, it has taught us to beware of elites bearing racial theories.”

[pray4liberty]

I don't think it's the government's business what race (i.e. skin color) we are.

We are Americans...isn't that enough?

[B4Ranch]

School Boards has been collared, finally!

[AzaleaCity5691]

I have always sent my kids to private schools so, this honestly doesn’t affect me personally.

However, we are in school districts that are majority white population, but which contain heavily black schools, the high school being 90%

In large part, this is natural, because in general, the whites here who do have school age children all opt for private school. But this could have implications we don’t know of yet.