Griffin v. County School Board
Encyclopedia
Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, 377 U.S. 218
(1964), is a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States
in which it ruled that the County School Board of Prince Edward County's decision to close all local, public schools and provide vouchers to attend private schools were declared constitutionally impermissible and violations under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
.
, Virginia initiated a coordinated policy known as massive resistance
to maintain segregationist policies. A legislative package known as the Stanley plan
was enacted. Numerous public schools had been closed through the tactics of massive resistance, but Prince Edward County took the unusual and extreme measure of closing all of its public schools after being ordered to integrate the public schools under its jurisdiction in June 1959.
In the absence of public schools, Prince Edward County provided tuition grants to its students – Black or White. No private schools existed for Blacks, as all private schools in the region remained segregated. An offer was made and rejected to establish a private school for Blacks. This was, in part, because many of the Black residents of Prince Edward County wanted "to continue the legal battle for desegregated public schools." Subsequently, "colored children were without formal education from 1959 to 1963, when federal, state, and county authorities cooperated to have classes conducted for Negroes and whites in school buildings owned by the county."
This case marked the first time that the Supreme Court ordered a county government to exercise their power of taxation.
Case citation
Case citation is the system used in many countries to identify the decisions in past court cases, either in special series of books called reporters or law reports, or in a 'neutral' form which will identify a decision wherever it was reported...
(1964), is a case decided by the Supreme Court of the United States
Supreme Court of the United States
The Supreme Court of the United States is the highest court in the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all state and federal courts, and original jurisdiction over a small range of cases...
in which it ruled that the County School Board of Prince Edward County's decision to close all local, public schools and provide vouchers to attend private schools were declared constitutionally impermissible and violations under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment
Equal Protection Clause
The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that "no state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"...
.
Background
In light of the court's holding in Brown v. Board of EducationBrown v. Board of Education
Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483 , was a landmark decision of the United States Supreme Court that declared state laws establishing separate public schools for black and white students unconstitutional. The decision overturned the Plessy v. Ferguson decision of 1896 which...
, Virginia initiated a coordinated policy known as massive resistance
Massive resistance
Massive resistance was a policy declared by U.S. Senator Harry F. Byrd, Sr. on February 24, 1956, to unite other white politicians and leaders in Virginia in a campaign of new state laws and policies to prevent public school desegregation after the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court decision...
to maintain segregationist policies. A legislative package known as the Stanley plan
Stanley plan
The Stanley plan was a package of 13 statutes adopted in September 1956 by the U.S. state of Virginia designed to ensure racial segregation in that state's public schools despite the ruling of the Supreme Court of the United States in Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 347 U.S. 483 ....
was enacted. Numerous public schools had been closed through the tactics of massive resistance, but Prince Edward County took the unusual and extreme measure of closing all of its public schools after being ordered to integrate the public schools under its jurisdiction in June 1959.
In the absence of public schools, Prince Edward County provided tuition grants to its students – Black or White. No private schools existed for Blacks, as all private schools in the region remained segregated. An offer was made and rejected to establish a private school for Blacks. This was, in part, because many of the Black residents of Prince Edward County wanted "to continue the legal battle for desegregated public schools." Subsequently, "colored children were without formal education from 1959 to 1963, when federal, state, and county authorities cooperated to have classes conducted for Negroes and whites in school buildings owned by the county."
This case marked the first time that the Supreme Court ordered a county government to exercise their power of taxation.