Thursday, May 18, 2017

Court Rulings

Romo v. Laird (1925). Earliest desegregation lawsuit filed by Mexican-Americans. Victorious plaintiffs in Tempe, Arizona, did not challenge the legality of segregation but charged that segregation against Mexicans was illegal because the schools were separate but not equal.

Alvarez v. Lemon Grove School Board of Education (1930). Mexican-American desegregation battle waged in Lemon Grove, California, prior to Topeka v. Brown.

Salvatierra v. Del Rio Independent School District (1930). The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) filed suit in a Texas district court on behalf of the parents of Mexican American children attending public school in Del Rio, Texas. 1930 the Texas Court of Civil Appeals agreed with the trial court that "school authorities have no power to arbitrarily segregate Mexican children, assign them to separate schools, and exclude them from schools maintained for children of other white races, merely or solely because they are Mexicans." Even so, the appellate court dissolved the injunction prohibiting segregation because there was no proof of intent to discriminate. It was within the "pedagogical wisdom" of the educators to separate children with language problems.

Mendez v. Westminster (1946). A federal court case that challenged racial segregation in Orange County, California schools. In its ruling, the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, in an en banc decision, held that the segregation of Mexican and Mexican American students into separate "Mexican schools" was unconstitutional. Ruled on February 18, 1946. Started when a young Mexican-American and Puerto Rican couple in Southern California tried to enroll their son in an all-white school, but the school district refused to allow it.

Delgado v. Bastrop Independent School District (1948). Mexican-American desegregation battle waged in Bastrop County, Texas, prior to Topeka v. Brown.

Gonzales v. Sheely (1951). Mexican-American desegregation battle waged in Tolleson, Arizona, prior to Topeka v. Brown.

Hernandez v. Texas (1954). U.S. Supreme Court case that decided that Mexican Americans and all other racial groups in the United States had equal protection under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Argued January 11, 1954. Decided May 3, 1954.

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