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Abstract
| Argument: |
August 28, 1958,
September 11, 1958
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| Decision: |
Friday, September 12, 1958 |
| Issues: |
Civil Rights, Desegregation, Schools |
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Advocates
| Richard C. Butler |
(Argued the cause for the petitioners) |
| J. Lee Rankin |
(Argued the cause for the United States, as amicus curiae, in support of the respondents) |
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Facts of the Case
The Governor and the Legislature of Arkansas openly resisted the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. They refused to obey court orders designed to implement school desegregation. Local officials delayed plans to do away with segregated public facilities.
Question
Were Arkansas officials bound by federal court orders mandating desegregation?
Conclusion
In a signed, unanimous per curiam opinion, the Court held that the Arkansas officials were bound by federal court orders that rested on the Supreme Court's decision in Brown v. Board of Education. The Court noted that its interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment in Brown was the supreme law of the land and that it had a "binding effect" on the states. The Court reaffirmed its commitment to desegregation and reiterated that legislatures are not at liberty to annul judgments of the Court.
