Pitt schools segregation lawsuit in federal court

Recent Cases

Nearly 60 years after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down racial segregation in public schools, lawyers are set to square off in a federal courtroom in eastern North Carolina over whether the effects of that Jim Crow past still persist.

A trial was to begin Monday in U.S. District Court in Greenville in the case of Everett v. Pitt County Board of Education.

A group of black parents represented by the UNC Center for Civil Rights will ask the court to reverse a 2011 student assignment plan they say effectively resegregated several schools in the district.

Lawyers for the Pitt schools will ask a judge to rule that the district has achieved "unitary status," meaning the "vestiges of past discrimination have been eliminated to the extent practicable." The designation would end federal oversight of the Pitt schools, in place since the 1960s.

This case is the first of its kind brought in North Carolina since 1999. More than 100 school districts across the South are still under federal court supervision. The decision in the Pitt case is expected to be widely followed by those other school systems.

Mark Dorosin, the managing attorney for the UNC Center for Civil Rights, said the case is a critical test of the continued viability of one of the most fundamental principles of school desegregation: That school districts still under court order must remedy the lasting vestiges of racial discrimination.

Related listings

  • Wash. gay wedding flowers case goes to court

    Wash. gay wedding flowers case goes to court

    Recent Cases 06/28/2013

    The dispute over a Washington state florist who declined to provide flowers for a same-sex wedding goes to court Friday. Oral arguments are scheduled in Benton County Superior Court. The Washington state attorney general's office sued the owner of Ar...

  • Court: Ex-Im Bank needs to explain Air India loan

    Court: Ex-Im Bank needs to explain Air India loan

    Recent Cases 06/19/2013

    A federal bank that backed a huge airplane loan for Air India will have to explain that the loan didn't hurt U.S. airlines. A lawsuit by Delta Air Lines Inc. had accused the Export-Import Bank of failing to follow a requirement that it makes sure its...

  • NJ court: Special US Senate election in Oct. OK

    NJ court: Special US Senate election in Oct. OK

    Recent Cases 06/14/2013

    A special U.S. Senate election to replace the late Democratic Sen. Frank Lautenberg can be held in October, as it was scheduled by Republican Gov. Chris Christie, a state court ruled Thursday. The ruling could be appealed. And while it keeps an elect...

New York Adoption, Foster Care Litigation and Family Law

Rosin Steinhagen Mendel is a law firm dedicated to serving our clients in New York City, the surrounding counties in southern New York State, and in New Jersey, in the areas of adoption, foster care litigation, and family law.

We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights, permanency hearings, custody hearings, guardianship, administrative proceedings, and adoption. Our goal is to provide each of our clients with the best possible representation in all aspects of their cases, and clients appreciate our careful analysis of individual cases, through preparation and attention to detail. For over 35 years, our attorneys have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, foster parents, children, foster care agencies, and adoption agencies. We represent our clients in all types of proceedings that include termination of parental rights, permanency hearings, custody hearings, guardianship, administrative proceedings, and adoption.

Our goal for our lawyers is to provide each of our clients with the best possible representation in all aspects of their cases, and clients appreciate our careful analysis of individual cases, through our preparation and attention to detail.

Business News

New York Adoption and Family Law Attorneys Our attorneys have represented adoptive parents, birth parents, and adoption agencies. >> read