Amicus Briefs

Last fall, more than 1,000 organizations and individuals - including political leaders, historians, social scientists, educators, corporations, civil rights groups, former Department of Defense officials, former U.S. cabinet secretaries and many others - weighed in with the Supreme Court to support Louisville's and Seattle's voluntary efforts to integrate their schools.

These individuals and organizations filed more than 50 amicus briefs on behalf of the school districts. Some of the briefs highlight the benefits of integration, such as improved academic ability for all students, greater success once in the workplace, and lower drop out rates. Some briefs highlight the need for race-conscious integration of K-12 schools. Others review some of the key history related to integration, including the 14th Amendment’s inclusionary purpose and America’s difficulties in integrating schools.

Collectively, the briefs provide a broad and compelling picture of why America needs integrated schools. (And beyond making sense, many of the briefs also make great reading - something not usually said about legal documents.)

Soon, we'll highlight some of these amicus briefs in separate posts. We’ll also link to a summary of all the briefs. In the meantime, if you just can't wait, the briefs in their entirety can be found here.

[Note: The amicus briefs are pdf files.]