Summary
The Ninth Circuit affirmed the district court's termination of federal judicial oversight over the Tucson Unified School District, holding that the district had achieved unitary status. The panel determined that perfect compliance with the Unitary Status Plan was neither necessary nor sufficient, focusing instead on whether the district acted in good faith and eliminated vestiges of past de jure segregation to the extent practicable. Finding that the district met these standards across multiple educational facets, the court concluded that continued federal supervision was unwarranted.
Topics
Practice areas
Questions Presented
- Whether the district court correctly found that the Tucson Unified School District had achieved unitary status and that federal supervision should be terminated.
Holdings
- The district court's judgment granting unitary status and terminating federal supervision is affirmed.
Key quotations
“[R]acial discrimination in public education is unconstitutional.” (at 1)
Factual background
The Tucson Unified School District operated a dual school system in the 1950s. Class actions in the 1970s led to a 1978 settlement and desegregation decree. After decades of court‑supervised remediation and the adoption of a Unitary Status Plan in 2013, the district court concluded the district had achieved unitary status and terminated supervision.
Procedural history
The district court approved a 1978 desegregation decree, later adopted a Unitary Status Plan (USP) in 2013, and after extensive supervision found the district had achieved unitary status, ending supervision. The plaintiffs appealed the district court's termination of supervision.