Looking for the Media’s take on the Court’s recent school integration decision? We’ve put together a smattering of some of the best articles we’ve read today.

Justices limit use of race in placement of student (The New York Times)

Synopsis: The Supreme Court rejected two public school integration plans (one in Seattle and the other in Louisville, Kentucky). The Majority, however, left open the possibility of using race-based means to achieve diversity in public schools. As Justice Kennedy stated, “a district may consider it a compelling interest to achieve a diverse student population
[and] race may be one component of that diversity.” Despite this allowance, the Court’s holding may halt similar plans in hundreds of districts nationwide that use race to achieve diversity. The Mayor of Louisville’s expressed disappointment with the decision citing the Louisville plan’s success in breaking down racial barriers for over the last 30years.

Court limits schools on race (The San Francisco Chronicle - Associated Press)

Synopsis: Roberts, in the Majority opinion, stated, “the way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race.” The Majority concluded that the two school plans violated the Equal Protection clause. Justice Breyer, in his dissent, stated Roberts’ opinion undermined the promise of integrated schools as provided in Brown v. Board of Education. Roberts countered that the courts decision was consistent with the Brown decision, to which dissenting Justice Stevens commented that Roberts’ reliance on Brown’s ruling against integration was “a cruel irony.”

Parsing the high court’s ruling on race and schools (National Public Radio)

Synopsis: This article both evaluates the Court’s ruling and the likely impacts of its holding. In addition, the article provides an insightful comparison of the decisions with other recent Supreme Court decisions regarding diversity and education.

The Supreme Court strikes down school integration policies (The Los Angeles Times)

Synopsis: This article explores the far-reaching implications of the Court’s decision and pays special attention to Justice Kennedy’s concurring opinion. The piece also notes that the Court’s decision does not implicate affirmative action programs in public colleges & universities as it explicitly recognizes “the unique context of higher education.”

A big “thank you” to Gemma, a LSNC law clerk, for compiling this list.