Justices May Outlaw "Racial Balancing" in Schools

The Supremes heard oral arguments today on a case of school districts which were denying kids admission to their first choice of schools based on race:

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court justices, hearing arguments on school integration, signaled today that they are likely to bar racial guidelines for assigning students to the public schools.

Such a ruling would deal a blow to civil rights lawyers and to school officials nationwide who had hoped to maintain a semblance of classroom integration in cities whose neighborhoods are divided along racial lines.

It would be a major victory for those who have called for "color blind" decision-making by public officials.

At issue today were the integration guidelines adopted by the schools boards in Seattle and Louisville, Ky. They were challenged by parents of the small number of students, most of them white, who were denied their first choice in schools because of race.

If a school turned down a black kid because of race, there's no question that would be considered unconstitutional. However, when a white kid is denied admission because of his race, it takes a Supreme Court case to put a stop to that obvious racial discrimination. If we're going to hold true to constitutional principles, we have to have a color blind society. Anything less is not acceptable.