William G. COOPER et al., Members of the Board of Directors of the Little Rock, Arkan- sas Independent School District, and Virgil T. Blossom, Superintendent of Schools, petitioners, v. John AARON et al. While the Little Rock School Board planned to carry out the intended plan of desegregation, they were continuously challenged by the governor and state officials. Concurring Opinion Oct. 6, 1958. Supreme Court.] Cooper v. The Court of Appeals affirmed, 8 Cir., 243 F.2d 361. Review of that judgment was not sought here. Therefore, both the governor of Arkansas and the Arkansas school boards were bound by Brown v. Board of Education. Decided Sept. 29, 1958. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/cooper-v-aaron-4774794. It also reinforced the strength of federal civil rights laws by noting that the Court's rulings bind all government officials. Keputusan itu mengesahkan dan menguatkuasakan keputusan Mahkamah sebelumnya di Brown v.Lembaga Pendidikan Topeka. In so doing, the state officials were creating chaos, such that it was virtually impossible for the Little Rock police and other law enforcement officials to quell the demonstrations and violence against the nine black students. The U.S. Supreme Court convened a special session to hear the case, conscious of the fact that the Little Rock School Board had delayed the start of the school year in order to settle the matter. Cooper v. Aaron, 358 U.S. 1 (1958), was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, which held that the states are bound by the Court's decisions and must enforce them even if the states disagreed with them. He was the father of John and Thelma Aaron, two of 33 children who sued in federal court in 1956 to desegregate Little Rock public schools.The suit was titled Aaron v.Cooper … John Aaron, a Minor, and Thelma Aaron, a Minor, by Their Mother and Next Friend, (Mrs.) Thelma Aaron, a Feme Sole v. William G. Cooper, M.D., as President of Board of Trustees, Little Rock Independent School District, 243 F.2d 361 (8th Cir. Article VI, Clause 3 requires public officials to take an oath, swearing that they will uphold the Constitution. In 1960, the district would begin integrating junior high schools as well. August Special Term, 1958. Aaron v. Cooper, D.C.Ark., 143 F. Supp. Cooper v. Aaron (1958) was a case pitting thirty-three African American students from Little Rock, represented by the local branch of the NAACP, against the Little Rock School District which denied them access to local high schools despite federal court orders mandating school desegregation. Cooper v. Aaron was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, which held that the states were bound by the Court's decisions, and could not choose to ignore them. In response to Governor Faubus, a federal district court judge issued an order to force the Little Rock public school system to continue with integration plans. Following that decision, the Little Rock School Board and School Superintendent began to implement a desegregation plan. The Governor’s and Legislature’s behavior was so bad, in fact, that the School Board – though trying diligently to carry out the desegregation plan – asked the District Court to suspend the desegregation plan for two and a half years because of the terrible, violent school year that the black students had to endure. The U.S. Supreme Court granted certiorari. In April 1957, the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals affirmed the district court's decision that the school board's plan for integration was sufficient. Days after the decision was handed down, members of the Little Rock School Board met to discuss a plan for integrating schools. Get this from a library! William G. COOPER et al., Members of the Board of Directors of the Little Rock, Arkan- sas Independent School District, and Virgil T. Blossom, Superintendent of Schools, petitioners, v. John AARON et al. However, it was also aware that the Arkansas Governor and the Legislature were doing everything in their power to openly defy the Court’s Brown v. Board of Education ruling. 855 (E.D. The school board argued that the desegregation plan had caused immense unrest, propelled by the Governor of Arkansas himself. On September 23, 1957 the children once again entered Central High School under the protection of the Little Rock Police Department. 855. Ark. Ark., 156 F.Supp. Brown v. Board of Edu- In Cooper v. Aaron (1958), the United States Supreme Court ruled that an Arkansas School Board had to comply with federal court orders regarding desegregation. The highest Court in the land has the final say on interpreting the Constitution, the Court opined. At the request of the district judge, and after hearings, the U.S. Department of Justice intervened and granted an injunction against Governor Faubus. This video is unavailable. The Eighth Circuit reversed that District Court’s decision. 1957) ThoughtCo uses cookies to provide you with a great user experience and for our. Civil Rights Movement Timeline From 1951 to 1959, Daisy Bates: Life of a Civil Rights Activist, The Integration of Little Rock High School, The Civil Rights Act of 1964 Did Not End the Movement for Equality, Shaw v. Reno: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact, Biography of Ruby Bridges: Civil Rights Movement Hero Since 6 Years Old, Bolling v. Sharpe: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact, Biography of Thurgood Marshall, First Black Supreme Court Justice, How Brown v. Board of Education Changed Public Education for the Better, The Warren Court: Its Impact and Importance. As the case unfolded, anti-integration sentiment rose in Arkansas. ThoughtCo, Aug. 28, 2020, thoughtco.com/cooper-v-aaron-4774794. The Constitution is the supreme law of the land, and a State must follow an order from the U.S. Supreme Court. The primary defendant in the case was local school board president William G. Cooper. Elementary schools were not even on the calendar. On February 20, 1958, five months after the integration crisis involving the Little Rock Nine, members of the school board (along with the Superintendent of Schools) filed suit in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas, urging suspension of … The justices agreed with the school board that most of the problems with integration stemmed from the governor and his political supporters. Arkansas officials are creating a terrible situation in order to undo a decision already made by the Court. While the Little Rock School Board planned to carry out the intended plan of desegregation, they were continuously challenged by the governor and state officials. Summary of Cooper v. Aaron 1958 After the Brown v. Board of Education decision was handed down from the United States Supreme Court in 1954, the Little Rock, Arkansas School District adopted a plan to desegregate public schools based on a two and one-half year plan. It presents dramatic facts and occupies an important place in the history of the struggle for In January of 1956, nearly two years after the Brown v. Board of Education decision, a number of black families attempted to enroll their children in white schools. Brown v. Board of education made a plan to desegregate it's schools in the school district of Little Rock, Arkansas. This is the issue the Supreme Court decided in Cooper v. Aaron (1958). On February 20, 1958, the Little Rock School Board petitioned to postpone their desegregation plan as a result of the protests and public unrest. 1. … 855, affirmed 8 Cir., 243 F.2d 361. Aaron v. Cooper : Little Rock case.. [John Aaron; William G Cooper; United States. In accordance with Little Rock School Board's plan, by fall of 1957, nine black children readied themselves to attend Central High School. Aaron v. Cooper, 243 F.2d 361; Thomason v. Cooper, 254 F.2d 808 (April 28, 1958); Faubus v. United States, 254 F.2d 797 (April 28, 1958). Cooper v. 1956) case opinion from the US District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas The NAACP filed suit on behalf of 33 black children who were told they could not enroll. A judge for the Eastern District of Arkansas federal court reviewed the school district's six-year plan and decided it was both prompt and reasonable. In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, the U.S. Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause. COOPER v. AARON, 358 U.S. 29 358 U.S. 29. By 1957, nine black American school children were set to attend Central High School in Little Rock in the Fall of that year. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}); Star Athletica, L.L.C. No. Recognizing the vital importance of a decision of the issues in time to permit arrangements to be made for the 1958-1959 school year, see Aaron v. Cooper, 357 U.S. 566, 567, 78 S.Ct. v. Varsity Brands, Inc. Trinity Lutheran Church of Columbia, Inc. v. Comer, After the U.S. Supreme Court issued its now famous, The chaos and turmoil the state officials created was so bad that the School Board trying to implement the Court-ordered desegregation plan asked the federal District Court to allow. Expand all | Collapse all | Results view. Supreme Court of the United States . The District Court granted the relief requested by the School Board. They were all turned away. Because of this continuous lack of support from the state and general publ… Journal of Supreme Court History. Forcible interference of a Supreme Court decision by a State violates the Constitution. Cooper v. Aaron, 358 U.S. 1, was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, which denied the Arkansas School Board the right to delay desegregation for 30 months. Supreme Court of the United States William G. Cooper, et al v. John Aaron, et al. "Cooper v. Aaron: Supreme Court Case, Arguments, Impact." The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals decision is affirmed. Aaron v. Cooper, 143 F. Supp. No. The district court allowed the postponement. Brown v. Board of Edu- Upon challenge by a group of Negro plaintiffs desiring more rapid completion of the desegregation process, the District Court upheld the School Board’s plan, Aaron v. Cooper, 143 F.Supp. John Aaron v. William G. Cooper, Members of the Board of Directors of the Little Rock, Arkansas, Independent School District, and Virgil T. Blossom, Superintendent of Schools, 261 F.2d 97 (8th Cir. Eliminated any doubt that compliance with the school Board president William G. Cooper caused immense unrest, propelled by Court. 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