On Monday, March 3, 2025, the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama approved and entered a historic Consent Decree in Stout v. Jefferson County Board of Education, a sixty-year-old school desegregation case aimed at ensuring that every student has access to high-quality, inclusive education. The agreement will bring critical reforms to Jefferson County Schools to address the enduring consequences of racial segregation within the district and its educational facilities.
LDF and its co-operating attorney, U.W. Clemon, represent the plaintiffs in the case, a group of Black families in Jefferson County, who have fought tirelessly to ensure that every student in the district can access their education fairly and equitably.
“I am overjoyed that Judge Haikala has approved a final Consent Decree which will bring about the complete desegregation of the Jefferson County school system,” said retired federal Judge U.W. Clemon. “I am a product of the racially segregated and unequal schools of that system. Along with the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, it has been my privilege to represent the Black students of that system between 1968-1980 and more recently for the last ten years. Working hand in hand with the superintendent and legal counsel for the Jefferson County school system, we have finally agreed on a plan which will bring about the complete and meaningful desegregation of the school system over the next few years. I thank God for the privilege of representing the Black plaintiffs in this case and I pray that the provisions of the Consent Decree will immensely benefit all the students enrolled in Jefferson County schools.”
The Consent Decree includes a comprehensive set of actions aimed at remedying segregation and ensuring fairer access in Jefferson County, including:
The Consent Decree also has robust reporting requirements.
“This is a monumental victory for the families and students of Jefferson County and represents a commitment to the promise of our public education system to ensure that all children can access the fair and inclusive learning environments they deserve,” said Arielle Humphries, Assistant Counsel at LDF. “We must express our immense gratitude for our clients and Judge Clemon, who time and time again have risen to this challenge and met it with courage and determination. We look forward to continuing to work with the District, the School Board, and community stakeholders to ensure this Decree is fully implemented and adhered to in the best interests of Jefferson County students.”
The original case, Stout vs. Jefferson Board of Education was filed in 1965—eleven years after the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education—by LDF and local counsel, Oscar Adams on behalf of a class of Black schoolchildren. After several years of litigation, a federal trial court imposed a remedial desegregation plan in 1971, which remained in effect for over fifty years. While some progress has been made to remove vestiges of the previously segregated school system, much work is left to do to ensure the promise of equitable and inclusive education for all Jefferson County students.
Read the full Consent Decree here.
