Griffin v. County School Board

Background

In 1956 the Prince Edward County Board of Supervisors decided not to raise taxes or provide money to operate integrated public schools. White children instead attended white-only schools run by the Prince Edward School Foundation, which received state support. The federal District Court ordered that public support for those private schools stop and said the county could not keep its public schools closed while other counties’ schools remained open. The Virginia courts later held the State and county were not required by the Virginia Constitution to reopen or fund the county’s public schools.

Reasoning

The central question now is whether federal courts should enforce the earlier Brown desegregation mandate in Prince Edward County despite the long delay and the Virginia court rulings. The Supreme Court granted review and scheduled full argument on the merits for March 30, 1964, saying the case raises important issues and should not be postponed while the state-court process ran its course. The decision to take the case lets the federal courts consider whether the county’s funding choices and school closings violated the national rule against segregated public schooling from the Brown decisions.

Real world impact

If the Court ultimately rules that the county’s conduct violated Brown, the county could be required to reopen and fund integrated public schools and stop public support for whites-only private schools. Because the Court has only agreed to hear the case and set argument, this is not a final ruling; the outcome could change after full briefing and argument, and it may affect how other counties and states implement school desegregation.