Messrs. Amos T. Hall, Tulsa, Okl., Robert L. Carter, Washington, D.C., for appellant. The case McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents began when the University of Oklahoma denied George McLaurin into its graduate program because of his race. Our society grows increasingly complex, and our need for trained leaders increases correspondingly. Public facilities like bathrooms and water fountains were segregated. Research: Josh Altic Vojsava Ramaj The Justices acknowledged in their ruling that it is impossible to have a "separate yet equal" education because of the nature of education itself. McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents For Higher Education 526. It may be argued that appellant will be in no better position when these restrictions are removed, for he may still be set apart by his fellow students. [1], The Supreme Court decided unanimously to reverse the decision of the United States District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma. Okla. 1948) October 6, 1948 87 F. Supp. [1] The unanimous decision was delivered on the same day as another case involving similar issues, Sweatt v. Painter. However, the facilities and services used by African Americans were not equal to those of white Americans. '1 Appellant was thereupon admitted to the University of Oklahoma Graduate School. Shelley v. Kraemer, 334 U.S. 1, 13 -14 (1948). Mullane v. Central Hanover Bank & Trust Co. Cleveland Board of Education v. Loudermill, Cruzan v. Director, Missouri Department of Health, Cumming v. Richmond County Board of Education, Davis v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Griffin v. County School Board of Prince Edward County, Green v. County School Board of New Kent County, United States v. Montgomery County Board of Education, Alexander v. Holmes County Board of Education, Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education. In the McLaurin case, the U.S. Supreme Court found that the University of Oklahoma had violated the equal protection clause because the experience needed for a good education could not be accomplished by physically separating McLaurin. McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents (1950) signaled that the Supreme Court would no longer tolerate any separate treatment of students based on their race. 20072023 Blackpast.org. She has been a classroom teacher for the past ten years. 0000071186 00000 n Our society grows increasingly complex, and our need for trained leaders increases correspondingly. Click here to contact us for media inquiries, and please donate here to support our continued expansion. 836, 842, 92 L.Ed. The Power of Precedent - Separate Is Not Equal - National WebMcLaurin v. Okla. State Regents for Higher Educ. Can a state treat a student differently from other students solely because of race? Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. In McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, (339 U.S. 637, 70 S.Ct. 0000067006 00000 n His application was rejected because state law prohibited black Marian W. Perry and Franklin H. Williams were also of counsel. Their own education and development will necessarily suffer to the extent that his training is unequal to that of his classmates. The Act secured the right to vote for minorities in the South. Different treatment of students in public institutions of higher learning solely on the basis of race violates the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. O'Gorman & Young, Inc. v. Hartford Fire Insurance Co. Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization, Planned Parenthood of Central Missouri v. Danforth, City of Akron v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Thornburgh v. American College of Obstetricians & Gynecologists, Ohio v. Akron Center for Reproductive Health, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England. Sweatt v. Painter No. Joe Buttler Cleek (19482010) FamilySearch Okla. 1948) U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma - 87 F. Supp. Your donation is fully tax-deductible. Therefore, the Court ruled that higher institutions such as colleges and universities were prohibited from practicing segregation, as it violated equal protection in an educational setting. The primary purpose of the 14th Amendment was to extend rights and protections found in the Constitution to the states. Fred Hansen, First Assistant Attorney General of Oklahoma, argued the cause for appellees. Such restrictions impair and inhibit his ability to study, to engage in discussions and exchange views with other students, and, in general, to learn his profession. Yes. Sweatt v. Painter (1950) - The Papers of Justice Tom C. Clark We decide only this issue; see Sweatt v. Painter, 339 U.S. 629, 70 S.Ct. 0000002961 00000 n McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents - YouTube WebMcLAURIN v. OKLAHOMA DEPT. Individual users must determine if their use of the Materials falls under United States copyright law's "Fair Use" guidelines and does not infringe on the proprietary rights of the Oklahoma Historical Society as the legal copyright holder of The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and part or in whole. The court thus concluded that the Fourteenth Amendment precluded the enforcement of the Oklahoma statute that required African American students to be treated differently from other students. Please select which sections you would like to print: Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. The Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture, Oklahoma Heritage Preservation Grant Program. McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher The removal of the state restrictions will not necessarily abate individual and group predilections, prejudices and choices. Name Meaning Pitts Linda Joan 1 English: variant of Pitt .2 Americanized spelling of German Pitz . 526 (1948) McLAURIN v. OKLAHOMA STATE REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION et al. 1149], the Court, in requiring that a Negro admitted to a white graduate school be treated like all other students, again resorted to intangible considerations: " his ability to study, to engage in discussions and exchange views with other students, and, in general, to learn his profession.". 247, a statutory three-judge District Court held, 87 F.Supp. McLaurin p\!Y.Ebt9/ z ^tGG"w N8f,SYU*Vn/ In McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education, 339 U.S. 637, 70 S.Ct. MR. CHIEF JUSTICE VINSON delivered the opinion of the Court. In apparent conformity with the amendment, his admission was made subject to 'such rules and regulations as to segregation as the President of the University shall consider to afford Mr. G. W. McLaurin substantially equal educational opportunities as are afforded to other persons seeking the same education in the Graduate College,' a condition which does not appear to have been withdrawn. He was allowed to pursue his doctoral degree at the University of Oklahoma. Marian W. Perry and Franklin H. Williams were also of counsel. Terms of Use About the Encyclopedia. Decided June 5, 1950. 528. George W. McLaurin Make your practice more effective and efficient with Casetexts legal research suite. To read more about the impact of McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents click here. At that time, his application was denied, solely because of his race. [1], Our society grows increasingly complex, and our need for trained leaders increases correspondingly. The experience needed for a good education could not be accomplished by physically separating McLaurin from his peers, and it disallowed him from working on many types of projects that involved one or more students, as well as participating in a discussion of any kind. On January 28, 1948, a retired black professor, George McLaurin, applied to the University of Oklahoma to pursue a Doctorate in Education. Appellant was thereupon admitted to the University of Oklahoma Graduate School. George W. McLaurin applied to the University of Oklahoma but was denied entry because he was African American. Plessy v. Ferguson was a case decided by the Supreme Court in 1896 that said segregation was constitutional as long as the separate facilities provided were of equal standard. He may wait in line in the cafeteria and there stand and talk with his fellow students, but while he eats he must remain apart. McLaurin won the right to attend the University of Oklahoma; however, Oklahoma simply amended its laws to say that while African Americans could attend white institutions, they must be segregated. 87 F. Supp. But at the very least, the state will not be depriving appellant of the opportunity to secure acceptance by his fellow students on his own merits. McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637, 640 (1950). He had to sit by himself in a separate section of the classroom, sit at a separate desk in the library, and sit at a different table (and sometimes eat at different times) from the rest of the students in the cafeteria. The judgment is, holding that a state-sponsored graduate school's disparate treatment of an African-American student based on race violated the Equal Protection Clause. McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637 (1950) It had two major clauses: due process and equal protection. Held: The conditions under which appellant is required to receive his education deprive him of his personal and present right to the equal protection of the laws; and the Fourteenth Amendment precludes such differences in treatment by the State based upon race. A three-judge federal trial court determined that officials in Oklahoma had a constitutional duty to provide the plaintiff with the education he wanted as soon as they offered the same to students of any other race. This case together with Sweatt v. Painter, which was decided the same day, marked the end of the separate but equal doctrine of Plessy v. Ferguson in graduate and professional education. U.S. Supreme Court Cases: Study Guide & Review, Johnson v. Eisentrager: Case Brief & Summary, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, Ruling of McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents. Ballotpedia features 408,463 encyclopedic articles written and curated by our professional staff of editors, writers, and researchers. The result is that appellant is handicapped in his pursuit of effective graduate instruction. Oklahoma had recently passed laws that made it illegal for black and white students to integrate or for black teachers to teach white students and vice versa. That court held that such treatment did not violate the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment and denied the motion. Thus he was required to sit apart at a designated desk in an anteroom adjoining the classroom; to sit at a designated desk on the mezzanine floor of the library, but not to use the desks in the regular reading room; and to sit at a designated table and to eat at a different time from the other students in the school cafeteria. 0000001634 00000 n 851, 94 L.Ed. Appellant's case represents, perhaps, the epitome of that need, for he is attempting to obtain an advanced degree in education, to become, by definition, a leader and trainer of others. Both students sued, and the U.S. Use this button to switch between dark and light mode. University R(/LS S!|9Md(Bz_&zKCq(x, 2*V)Aac!:! Mark Tushnet, Making Civil Rights Law: Thurgood Marshall and the Supreme Court, 19361961 (New York: Oxford University Press, 1994). rG' It is said that the separations imposed by the State in this case are in form merely nominal. He may wait in line in the cafeteria and there stand and talk with his fellow students, but while he eats he must remain apart. This would set a precedent for future legal issues about segregation, including the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education a few years later. In the interval between the decision of the court below and the hearing in this Court, the treatment afforded appellant was altered. McLAURINv.OKLAHOMA STATE REGENTS FOR HIGHER EDUCATION et al. The student was assigned to seating in the classroom, library, and cafeteria that was specified for Black students. Appellant filed a complaint requesting injunctive relief, alleging that the action of the school authorities and the statutes upon which their action was based were unconstitutional and deprived him of the equal protection of the laws. 1149 McLAURIN v. OKLAHOMA STATE 638-642. His case set a precedent through which may laws regarding segregation were struck down. Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. Appellant is a Negro citizen of Oklahoma. U.S. Supreme CourtMcLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637 (1950), McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents for Higher Education. The removal of the state restrictions will not necessarily abate individual and group predilections, prejudices and choices. 0000067670 00000 n WebThis case and McLaurin v. Oklahoma State Regents, 339 U.S. 637, 70 S.Ct. Accordingly, the high court reversed the decision of the U.S. District Court, requiring the University of Oklahoma to remove the restrictions under which McLaurin was attending the institution.

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