Keyes v. School District No. 1

This case marked the first time that the Court ruled on a school segregation issue in a jurisdiction which had never operated under statutes mandating racial separation. In its decision the Court considered the distinction between de jure segregation, defined as racial separation that is required by law, and de facto segregation, defined as racial separation that was not created by state action or statute.

The development of the Denver, Colorado, area in the years following World War II was typical of American cities during the period. The city grew rapidly between 1940 and 1980 although, beginning in the mid-1950s, much of the growth occurred in suburban areas surrounding the original city. By the 1970s, the population of Denver proper was declining, while that of the suburbs grew by approximately 30 percent during the decade.

As Denver's economy diversified during and after the war, its minority populations began to grow. By 1980, 12 percent of Denver's population was African American and 19 percent was Hispanic. Many Denverites of African American descent traditionally lived east of the central business district in a neighborhood known as Five Points, while Denver's Hispanic population traditionally occupied an area just west of the central business district. These traditional residence patterns began to change in the early 1960s, with African Americans moving into neighborhoods bordering Five Points, including the Park Hill district.