Washington v. Seattle School District - Impact

Washington v. Seattle School District represents one side of the Court's rather inconsistent approach to attempts to remedy de facto segregation in the 1970s. The ruling was consistent with the position taken by the Court in Keyes v. School District No. 1 (1973), in which Denver schools were ordered to take action to redress racial segregation within the system. However, these rulings are seemingly contradicted by Milliken v. Bradley, (1974), in which the Court ruled that it was inappropriate to seek judicial remedies for de facto segregation. In fact, Washington v. Seattle School District was specifically overruled by Crawford v. Board of Education of Los Angeles, (1982), in which the Court held that states could amend their constitutions to prohibit busing of students to redress de facto racial segregation.