Freeman v. Pitts

Summary

The Court held that a federal district court supervising a school desegregation decree may withdraw supervision incrementally from particular areas in which the district has achieved compliance, even if other areas remain unresolved. It further held that racial imbalance in student assignments does not itself establish noncompliance when the imbalance is not proximately traceable to the prior unconstitutional system or later governmental action, although the district court must consider whether continued supervision is necessary to remedy deficiencies in other areas and whether the school district has demonstrated good-faith compliance. The judgment was reversed and remanded for further proceedings applying these principles. Justice Scalia, concurring, emphasized the narrowness of the ruling; Justice Souter, concurring, identified additional causal relationships requiring consideration; and Justice Blackmun, concurring in the judgment, would retain jurisdiction over the entire system and require closer examination of the school board's contribution to continuing segregation.