Answer:
In 2007, the Supreme Court of the United States issued two landmark decisions related to school desegregation plans in Louisville, Kentucky and Seattle, Washington.
In the Louisville case, known as Meredith v. Jefferson County Board of Education, the Court considered a school desegregation plan that used racial classifications to assign students to schools in an effort to achieve racial balance. The plan was challenged by a group of white parents who argued that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment, which prohibits states from denying equal protection under the law to any person within their jurisdiction. The Court ultimately ruled that the plan was unconstitutional, finding that it violated the Equal Protection Clause because it relied on racial classifications to make school assignments.
In the Seattle case, known as Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, the Court considered a school assignment plan that also used racial classifications to assign students to schools in an effort to achieve racial balance. Like the Louisville plan, the Seattle plan was challenged by a group of parents who argued that it violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment. The Court ruled that the Seattle plan was also unconstitutional, finding that it violated the Equal Protection Clause because it relied on racial classifications to make school assignments.
Both of these cases were significant because they established that the use of racial classifications in school assignment plans is generally unconstitutional, unless there is a compelling government interest and the plan is narrowly tailored to achieve that interest. These decisions have had a lasting impact on school desegregation efforts and have shaped the way that school districts across the country approach issues of diversity and integration.