Supreme Court finds Mississippi colleges colleges unlawfully segregated CPS MISSISSIPPI has not done enough to remove vestiges vestiges vestiges ves ves- of segregation from its system of higher education the US U.S. Supreme Court ruled The Bush administration and blacks had urged the court to overturn a decision by the US U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Appeals Appeals Ap Ap- Ap- Ap peals that Mississippi had met its obligation to dismantle the system of official segregation The liThe state has not satisfied its burden of proving that it has has' dismantled its prior system system tem tern Justice Byron White wrote in the to one ruling in June Blacks argued that relying on stand standardized test scores and letting white and black students students stu stu- den dents ts decide which schools they wanted to attend was not enough to correct the inequities ties in the system Duplication of programs has contributed contributed- to the de facto creation of separate iJ 1 J t 4 I c systems of black and white education with the white schools receiving more money and having more prestigious programs than predominantly black schools the plaintiffs ar ar- ar- ar gued The Circuit ruling was initially supported by the Justice Justice Justice Jus Jus- tice Department t but in October October October Oc Oc- Oc- Oc tober President Bush ordered the department to change its position after he was lobbied by black Republicans Mississippi Governor Kirk Fordice had no immediate comment Earlier he had said he might call out the theNa Na National Guard ra rather ther than thanin in increase crease taxes to eq equalize ua lize school funding A spokeswoman spokeswoman spokeswoman spokes spokes- woman said the governors governor's attorneys were reviewing the high court opinion The State College Board planned a meeting to discuss the case and declined comment until that time The effects of the ruling are i J P uncertain although it is likely that Mississippi will have to increase increase increase in in- crease spending to correct the inequities The lawsuit was similar to a desegregation lawsuit in neighboring neighboring neighboring neigh neigh- boring Alabama In that case US District Judge Har Harold ld Murphy ruled that Alabama had failed to erase all traces of segregation in its university system This court is obligated to see that vestiges of discrimination tion are eliminated root and branch and it will brook nothing nothing nothing noth noth- ing less Murphy wrote The judge ordered Alabama to change its state formula to provide provide provide pro pro- vide better support for Alabama AM in Huntsville Huntsville and and Alabama State University in Montgomery two predominantly black schools He also ordered the state to eliminate duplication of programs program a at t the two schools and their predominantly white counterparts counterpart j Jr 2 a W C L Oti Mf J r. r H w 7 L p t t 4 i l kr f- f Ar X kW 1 R M t tT J T fr Photo by Ed tile Costumed participants bring back pioneer heritage for Days of 47 r r r 1 I a 4