Legal Defense Fund to Press Austin School Desegregation Suit
Press Release
August 2, 1971
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Press Releases, Volume 6. Legal Defense Fund to Press Austin School Desegregation Suit, 1971. ff90c8a6-ba92-ee11-be37-00224827e97b. LDF Archives, Thurgood Marshall Institute. https://ldfrecollection.org/archives/archives-search/archives-item/013bb5f2-8fc6-40e4-a743-65462bd7baa0/legal-defense-fund-to-press-austin-school-desegregation-suit. Accessed November 23, 2025.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
AUGUST 2, 1971
LEGAL DEFENSE FUND TO PRESS
AUSTIN SCHOOL DESEGREGATION SUIT
NEW YORK, N.Y. --- Jack Greenberg, Director-Counsel of the
NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF) announced
in New York today that if the Justice Department failed to appeal
the district court ruling in the Austin, Texas school desegregation
suit, the Legal Defense Fund would reopen the litigation to protect
the constitutional rights of Austin's black schoolchildren.
Austin was sued by the federal government last year as part
of its state-wide desegregation suit in Texas. Last spring, HEW
proposed a busing and pairing plan which would have completely
integrated the system. This was rejected by the district court
in favor of the school board's proposal to assign students to
segregated schools and transport them to special integrated classes
about 25% of the time.
Mr. Greenberg said the decision appeared to violate several
Fifth Circuit rulings last year, but that although notice of
appeal was due tomorrow, it had not yet been indicated whether
the government would appeal. If it does not, the Legal Defense
Fund will act, said Greenberg.
For further information contact: Jack Greenberg or Norman Chachkin
(212) 586-8397
NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, Inc. | 10 Columbus Circle | New York, N.Y. 10019 | (212) 586-8397
William T. Coleman, Jr. - President
Jack Greenberg - Director-Counse!