-17,
o
• 81 c Colle e
led to obt
•
v
a
CO G
� �. _.
=------=�- � •
cent.
in
ice
the
hitc, 9.6 percent ere BI- c
n the r t ere other
minority group .
It al 0 t ted th t between
1976 and 19 .8 the number of
Bl c elected 0 ficial gre
from 245 to 16. meanin
th t 1.6 percent of'
ichig n' 19.40 elected
official re Blac .
he
un-
Intervene ' complaint a fol
Io : "It i admitted that
de egreg tion of instit tion
of higher education is re
quired. The e defend nt do
not dmit, ho ever, th t the
go I of de egregation can be
accomplished through the
continued exi renee of the
pre ent form of governance
and dmini tr tion of A&M
nd SU, or even through the
continued exi renee of tho e
t 0 i' titution ."
A uit filed ag in t the
state of Alabam by the U.S.
Ju lice Dep rtment nd
joined by the Knight Inter
veners ent to trial in 1985
ith Oi trict Judge U.W.
Cle on ruling that ve tiges
of e regation remain in
hig er education in Alabam •.
Folio ing the 1985 trial,
Clemon found that many
BI c tudent re kept out of
the tradition Ily hite i -
tit tion thro h di-
crt inatory. admis ions
practice . A pattern of under
fundin for his orically
Blac college and niver-
tie al 0 established in
the trial. Fundin for'
tudent , land
10 er for Blac
college nd univer i tie
than traditionally hite in
stitution ,thu m ing it
more difficult for hi torically
Blac in titution to ttr ct
hite tudent
CL ORDER D
the de end nts in the c e to
u mit plan for elimin ting
e reg tion. Defendant
ere the governor, the
I bama Commi ion on
Hi her Educ tio n, the
labam St ie Bo rd of
Educ tion. the AI bam
Public School and College'
A ociation, and II the
chool in AI b m '
of public higher cduc lion.
Clemon a later removed
from the ca e re ult of n
appeal by Auburn Uni r ity.
Eleventh Circui l Court of Ap
pe I Judge Robert V nee
entertained Auburn' ppeal.
V; nee t ted Clem "par-
ticip ted in the very event
nd h ped the very fact that
ere t i ue " in the I w uit.
Clemon's p t involvement
t ie enator and le der
in the Democr tic P rty, nd
or civil right I wycr
ere given by V nee a
re on for Clemon'
remov l.
Six other judge had
removed th m ctve from the
c e. prompting Vance to ap
point U.S. Di trict udge
Harold urphy of the orth
ern Oi tr ict 0 Geor ia in
Rome. Georgia, to he r the
c e.
Auburn nd th Univer ity
of 1 b m Sy tern moved
for t y of Clemon'
remedy in 1986. hich wa
gr nted. The Supreme Court
denied an appe I to di olve
the tay, nd no the law uit
i pre enlly t tri I again in
Birmin ham. Al b m .