Norwood v. Harrison
United States Supreme Court
413 U.S. 455 (1973)
- Written by Jamie Milne, JD
Facts
Delores Norwood and other parents (plaintiffs) filed a class action on behalf of students throughout Mississippi to challenge the constitutionality of a state-funded and state-operated textbook-lending program. Under the long-standing, statutorily established program, the state selected, purchased, and distributed free textbooks to all students in the state. After the desegregation of Mississippi’s public schools, more private schools opened, many of them with racially discriminatory policies. Norwood and the other parents claimed that by supplying textbooks to students attending those private schools, the state was unconstitutionally providing direct aid to racially segregated education. The class-action suit targeted state officials involved in the program’s administration (defendants), including D. L. Harrison. A three-judge district court upheld the validity of the program, emphasizing that the program was not motivated by a desire to promote racial segregation. Norwood and the other parents appealed to the United States Supreme Court.
Rule of Law
Issue
Holding and Reasoning (Burger, C.J.)
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