Supreme Court of the United States
Northcross v. Board of Education of the Memphis City Schools
June 4, 1973412 U.S. 427
Summary
The Court held that under § 718 of the Emergency School Aid Act the prevailing plaintiff should ordinarily be awarded attorney's fees unless special circumstances make such an award unjust, mirroring the standard of § 204(b) of the Civil Rights Act, and therefore vacated the Sixth Circuit’s denial of fees and remanded for further proceedings.
Holding
- Whether § 718 authorizes attorney's fees and, if so, what standard governs such awards. Section 718 should be interpreted pari passu with § 204(b); the prevailing plaintiff should ordinarily recover a reasonable attorney's fee unless special circumstances would render such an award unjust.
Docket 72-1164
Cited authorities
- 86 Stat. 369
- 20 U.S.C. § 1617
- 78 Stat. 244
- 42 U.S.C. § 1983
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