Milliken v. Bradley: The End of the Brown v. Board of Education Promise

In June 1972, Judge Roth issued a groundbreaking integration plan that included affluent suburbs like Grosse Pointe and Bloomfield Hills in the same school district as Detroit. The plan involved busing students to achieve racial integration, a controversial move that sparked backlash from the suburbs and politicians.

The issue of busing became a central theme in the political landscape, with George Wallace’s victory in the Michigan Democratic primary on an antibusing platform and Richard Nixon’s campaign denouncing busing orders. Nixon, seeking re-election, vowed to halt new busing orders by federal courts.

The case of Milliken v. Bradley reached the Supreme Court, raising questions about the constitutionality of addressing de facto segregation in schools. In a 5-4 decision, the Court overturned Roth’s integration plan, ruling that only de jure segregation required remedies under the Constitution.

Chief Justice Warren Burger’s opinion reflected a lack of acknowledgment of the racial dynamics that led to segregation in Detroit. Despite efforts by a successor judge to address segregation within the city, the impact was limited, leaving many schools untouched.

The aftermath of Milliken v. Bradley marked a turning point, signaling the end of the promise of Brown v. Board of Education. While successful court-ordered integration was seen in Southern schools, the Northern counterparts struggled due to legal separations between cities and suburbs.