-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 .