LDF Makes Concerted Drive to Halt Another Year of Separate Miss. Schools

    54 
President 

Hon. Francis E. Rivers — 

PRESS RELEASE Director-Counsel 
egal efense und Jack Greenberg 

Director, Public Relations 

NAACP LEGAL DEFENSE AND EDUCATIONAL FUND, INC. Jesse DeVore, Jr. 

10 Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y. 10019 * JUdson 6-8397 NIGHT NUMBER 212-749-8487 

FOR RELEASE 
WEDNESDAY 
September 3, 1969 

LDF MAKES CONCERTED DRIVE 
TO HALT ANOTHER YEAR OF 
SEPARATE MISS. SCHOOLS 

Prepare Supreme Court Brief On 24 Hours' Notice 

NEW YORK---Cramming two weeks' work into 24 hours, a team of LDF 

staff members in three states rushed a brief to the U.S. Supreme 

Court last weekend in an effort to halt another year of segregated 

Mississippi schools. 

They made the deadline. 

The urgency arose when the U.S, Court of Appeals in New Orleans 

announced on Thursday noon that it responded favorably to the U.S. 

Justice Department request to halt scheduled integration in 33 

Mississippi school districts. 

That Thursday decision gave NAACP Legal Defense and Educational 

Fund, Inc. (LDF) attorneys one working day before the Labor Day 

weekend (no courts would be in session). 

and, the following Tuesday, September 2, was the first day of 

school in many of the challenged Mississippi school systems. 

On hearing the Appeals Court ruling Thursday, LDF Director -Counsel. 

Jack Greenkerg conferred with Associate James Nabrit, First Assistant 

Counsel Norman Amaker, and Assistant Counsel Norman Chachkin. 

The lawyers concluded that the only hope of heading off the 

Justice Department's victory was to prepare a complete brief for 

U.S. Supreme Court Justice Black by the end of the next day. 

The brief was to rest on three major arguments: 

1. a single Supreme Court Justice has the power to order 

Mississippi school integration; 

2. there was no legal reason for the delay; 

3. black children in Mississippi faced permanent educational 

damage if forced to remain in their inferior schools another 

year. 

1 Mr. Greenberg instructed Amaker, the senior attorney on the case, 

to write the brief and have it ready for editing the next morning. 

He assigned the gathering of the seven exhibits to Chachkin. 

Both attorneys worked around the clock, Amaker dictating to 

secretary Gloria Branker. 

The exhibits consisted of past opinions, the original court 

order, an amendment of that order, the government motion seeking 

delay, and the LDF opposing motion. 

The LDF's single copies of several of the exhibits were in the 

\ Jackson, Mississippi office of cooperating attorney Reuben Anderson. 

There was no time for mail and the materials were too extensive 

7 for telephone relay. Hence, Anderson was summoned to New York City. 

(more) 



LDF MAKES CONCERTED DRIVE 
TO HALT ANOTHER YEAR OF 
SEPARATE MISS. SCHOOLS -2- September 3, 1969 

In addition, the findings of fact from the U.S. District Court 
argument the preceding Monday had to be assembled. 

The new brief could not be written without a copy of the latest 
Appeals Court decision which reversed an earlier ruling. The earlier 
decision called for integration. 

That decision was in the office of LDF cooperating attorney 

Charles Cotton in New Orleans. 

Cotton dictated the eight-page opinion to Chachkin, who takes 
shorthand and is a speed typist, via telephone. 

Mr. Greenberg began editing the brief in sections at 9:00 Friday 
morning. Three hours later--after stencils, mimeographing, and 
Xeroxing--a bleary-eyed Amaker boarded his plane to Washington. 

=30= 

NOTE: The LDF is a completely separate and distinct organization ever 

though we were established by the NAACP and retain those initials in 
our name. Our correct designation is NAACP Legal Defense and 
Educational Fund, Inc., frequently shortened to LDF.