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 October 08, 2025.
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efense jund 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!