DOJ lifts federal control from dozens of Southern school districts after decades
The Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division has dismissed more than 50 long-standing desegregation cases, ending federal oversight of several Southern school districts.
In a recent statement, Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon said the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division is ending federal oversight of more than 50 school districts that have been subject to desegregation orders for decades. The dismissed cases cover districts such as Tuscumbia City, St. Clair County and Tarrant City in Alabama, Rankin County in Mississippi, and Dyersburg City in Tennessee. The DOJ argues that these districts have attained unitary status and that black students are now welcomed in all schools.
Eliminating the consent decrees is expected to free up several thousand dollars annually for each district, though some larger districts previously spent hundreds of thousands on legal fees. The department will continue a case-by-case review of remaining desegregation orders that originated in the 1960s and 1970s.
Why it matters
It ends decades-old federal control, letting local schools redirect funds and reshape education policy.
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