United States v. Fordice

Mississippi's public university system was built around segregation, adding separate universities for black students in 1940 and 1950 and maintaining a largely segregated system even after Brown v. Board of Education, until the first black student was admitted to the University of Mississippi by court order in 1962. By the time of trial in 1987, about 99 percent of white students still attended the five traditionally white schools while the three traditionally black schools remained 92-99 percent black, three traditionally white schools required a minimum ACT score of 15, and significant academic programs were needlessly duplicated across nearby schools. The district court and court of appeals found Mississippi's race-neutral admissions policies satisfied its constitutional and statutory desegregation obligations, and the United States and private plaintiffs sought Supreme Court review.