School segregation lawsuit headed back to court after mediation fails
A coalition of advocacy groups and parents sued the state in 2018 alleging there is de facto segregation in New Jersey's public school system. (Courtesy of the New Jersey Governor's Office)
A closely watched lawsuit challenging what the plaintiffs say is widespread segregation in New Jersey schools is heading back to court after mediation talks between the two sides broke down.
An attorney for the plaintiffs said in a Tuesday court filing that after 15 months of negotiations, 'it no longer appears likely that further mediation will be constructive.' Little is known about the mediation discussions due to confidentiality agreements.
Now, the families and coalition of advocates who filed the lawsuit against the state have until April 15 to file a motion to appeal a court ruling from October 2023 that did not go plaintiffs' way. Lawrence Lustberg, attorney for the plaintiffs, said while they are disappointed no agreement could be reached, they plan to return to court.
'A court judgment is now the surest way to achieve a remedy for this unacceptable reality, in which hundreds of thousands of the state's children attend school in segregated settings. This lawsuit seeks to secure the educational future of New Jersey children. They deserve nothing less,' he said in a statement.
The case began in 2018, when Latino Action Network and the NAACP led a coalition of advocacy groups and parents to file suit against the state alleging there is de facto segregation in New Jersey's public school system, violating the state Constitution and depriving students of their right to a thorough and efficient education.
Students in New Jersey are required to attend schools in the municipality where they live, which the plaintiffs claim leads to segregated schools due to a history of residential segregation and discriminatory housing policies. New Jersey ranked sixth across the country for the most segregated school system for Black students, and seventh for Latino students, according to a 2017 report from UCLA's Civil Rights Project.
While the plaintiffs highlighted several districts where non-white enrollment is between 90% and 99%, the state argued segregation in some districts didn't amount to a violation. The state Board of Education and state Department of Education are also named as defendants.
Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy released a long-awaited decision in 2023 that agreed with plaintiffs that there is a 'marked and persistent racial imbalance' in New Jersey schools, but said plaintiffs failed to prove the school system is 'unconstitutionally segregated because of race or ethnicity.'
Javier Robles, president of the Latino Action Network, said the plaintiffs will 'continue to pursue every option to end the disgraceful legacy of segregation in New Jersey schools.'
'In New Jersey, too many students are being denied a 'thorough and efficient' education as a result of segregation policies. The NAACP New Jersey State Conference will not rest until these policies in New Jersey schools have been eradicated, no matter the length of our journey,' said Richard T. Smith, president of the NAACP's New Jersey chapter.
Tyler Jones, a spokeswoman for Gov. Phil Murphy, said the state 'worked hard to try to reach a resolution.'
'While the parties return to the litigation, the state remains steadfast in its efforts to provide the most robust educational opportunities possible for all students and continues to be open to reaching a mutual resolution of the matter,' she said.
SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Newsweek
26 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Military Member Joins Anti-ICE Protest, Tells Trump: 'We Are Not Pawns'
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A serving member of the U.S. Army openly joined the protests against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) in Dallas, Texas, and called on others in the military to "resist evil". "We are not pawns for Donald Trump," said the uniformed woman in a video posted to social media by the leftist activist channel BreakThrough News. She was not fully identified, but a patch that said "Colado" was on her chest where troops wear their last names. She joined the protests after President Donald Trump deployed Marines to Los Angeles, California, amid the riots and disorder. "Why now? It's because the military was called upon against the protesters. We, in our oath to serve, we serve the people of the United States, the Constitution," she said. "These constitutional rights are being stripped and just denied. And the military will not be pawns to that. "So I'm calling upon the conscience of military members who served previously and now. We have a conscience, a mind and we have a duty and moral obligation to say no and resist evil." BREAKING: After Trump deployed Marines to LA, this military member joined an anti-ICE protest in Dallas, declaring, 'We won't be pawns in stripping away constitutional rights.' — BreakThrough News (@BTnewsroom) June 11, 2025 This is a developing article. Updates to follow.
New York Post
2 hours ago
- New York Post
Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn's son Wyatt addresses claim he was viral protester scolding National Guardsmen during LA riots
Actor Wyatt Russell, son of Hollywood legends Kurt Russell and Goldie Hawn, has cleared the air after he was mistakenly identified as a man scolding law enforcement during the anti-ICE protests in Los Angeles in a viral video. The video showed a bearded protester, who has a fleeting resemblance to Wyatt Russell, donning a black sweatshirt and baseball cap and shouting at National Guardsmen standing post. The protester can be heard telling the guardsmen that they were on 'the wrong side of history' in the clip that went viral on X on Monday. 'Your assault rifles and your sticks? You should be standing here with us,' the man is heard yelling. 5 Wyatt Russell attends the New York Special Screening of 'Thunderbolts' hosted by The Cinema Society at iPic Theater on April 30, 2025 in New York City. Getty Images for Disney 'We know you got a job to do, but you took an oath to the Constitution, not to the fascists in the White House. Think about what you're doing now. Think about what this means.' Rumors started spreading like wildfire across the social media platform that the man in the footage was actually the '22 Jump Street' star. However, a spokesperson for the 38-year-old actor quickly put to rest any doubt that he was the man in the video. 'This is indeed NOT Wyatt Russell, and we have been working to try and correct the mis-identification,' the spokesperson told the Independent. The protester in the viral clip was actually Aaron Fisher, a former Ohio House Democratic Caucus staffer and now a partner at Statecraft Media — who said he got a kick out of being mistaken for his Hollywood doppelganger. 5 Wyatt Russell with his mom, actress Goldie Hawn. Shutterstock 5 Kurt Russell, Goldie Hawn and Wyatt Russell at 'The Hateful Eight' film premiere, in Los Angeles, on Dec. 7, 2015. Matt Baron/Shutterstock 'I found the mixup to be pretty humorous, and glad it helped to amplify the message,' Fisher told Entertainment Weekly. 'The proliferation of the words themselves, and the movement behind it, is what matters most.' Fisher then used the moment to bash the deployment of the National Guard in California to help control the violent ICE riots suffocating Los Angeles. 'The deployment of the National Guard against the wishes of our Governor is dangerously un-American, and I will continue to peacefully protest in my community,' he said. 5 Severe disorder takes place in downtown Los Angeles as hundreds of law enforcement officers and the National Guard try to keep order. Toby Canham for NY Post The city has been in turmoil since protests-turned-riots erupted as US Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided numerous workplaces and hauled off suspected illegal immigrants. The Trump administration has deployed 4,000 National Guard members to maintain order and help protect federal personnel and property. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has also ordered 700 Marines to Los Angeles to support the National Guard troops on the ground, as well as local authorities. 5 Vehicles are seen being torched during the Los Angeles anti-ICE riots. Toby Canham for NY Post Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass announced that a curfew will go into effect in parts of downtown Los Angeles on Tuesday after five straight days of riots, looting, violent clashes with police, and more than 150 arrests. While it was confirmed that Russell wasn't the protester in the viral video, other celebrities have not shied away from throwing their support behind the anti-ICE riots. Actor Mark Ruffalo posted a lengthy message on Instagram condemning the ICE raids as things began to reach a boiling point in the city between protesters and law enforcement. 'When you have working class people going after the poor and other working class people you know you are living in an oligarchy,' Ruffalo captioned the post.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Trump's tariffs can remain in place for now, but appeals court fast tracks a summer resolution
President Donald Trump's heftiest tariffs cleared a court hurdle for now, after a federal appeals court ruled Tuesday that they could take effect while legal challenges play out. But the appeals court put the tariff cases on a fast track for a resolution this summer. The decision came after the Trump administration appealed the Court of International Trade's ruling finding the president exceeded his authority to impose country-wide tariffs claiming a national emergency. 'Both sides have made substantial arguments on the merits. Having considered the traditional stay factors… the court concludes a stay is warranted under the circumstances,' according to the ruling. The stay is pending the course of the appeal, the court wrote, adding that the case will be heard on a sped-up basis by the full panel of judges at the court. 'The court also concludes that these cases present issues of exceptional importance warranting expedited en banc consideration of the merits in the first instance,' the order said. A lawyer for the plaintiffs said the decision was 'unfortunate' but that the expedited review could hopefully yield a permanent answer soon. 'All I can say is the court's decision is unfortunate,' wrote Ilya Somin, a law professor at Scalia Law School, George Mason University and plaintiff lawyer, in an email to CNN. 'The Federal Circuit also indicated in its ruling today that there will be expedited consideration of the case, and we hope to get a ruling on the merits faster than usual.' But the White House called the stay 'a welcome development.' 'The Trump administration is legally using the powers granted to the executive branch by the Constitution and Congress to address our country's national emergencies of persistent goods trade deficits and drug trafficking,' White House spokesman Kush Desai said in a statement. 'The US Circuit Court of Appeals' stay order is a welcome development, and we look forward to ultimately prevailing in court.' The appeals court ruling, however, has no bearing on the sector-wide tariffs Trump previously enacted, including those on aluminum, steel, cars and car parts. That's because he imposed those levies under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act – a different law than the one Trump cited for his broader trade actions. Section 232 gives a president significant power to levy tariffs on specific sectors if they believe there is a national security threat risk. That's just one of the levers the administration can continue to use regardless of how the case ultimately plays out. A handful of other laws give the president the ability to levy higher tariffs, albeit in a more limited way than under a law known as the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, or IEEPA. Trump has attempted to use that law to pass along 'reciprocal' tariffs, a 10% universal tariff and import taxes on Mexico, Canada and China over their alleged roles in enabling illegal migration and fentanyl to flow into the US. Barring any more new import taxes, without the IEEPA-related levies, the nation's effective tariff rate on goods would decline from 13-14% to 5%, JPMorgan economists estimated in May note to clients. That's still around double that of 2024 levels, however. The latest order does little to give businesses certainty about the future. Trump has imposed, paused, hiked and lowered tariffs at a dizzying rate since re-taking office, leaving businesses and consumers alike scrambling to figure out what products brought into the country will cost in the coming weeks and months. Trump has called for those businesses to bring production into the United States to avoid tariffs. But that process takes time and money – often into the years and millions or billions of dollars. This story has been updated with additional context and developments. CNN's Samantha Delouya and Samantha Waldenberg contributed reporting.
