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What was the significance of the Supreme Court case Missouri v. Jenkins?

The Missouri v.

Jenkins case was a landmark school desegregation lawsuit that spanned nearly two decades in Kansas City, Missouri.

In the initial 1989 ruling (Missouri v.

Jenkins I), the Supreme Court upheld the award of attorney's fees to the plaintiffs under the Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Awards Act of 1976.

The Court determined that the Eleventh Amendment did not bar enhancement of the fee award to account for the delay in payment, and that the fee should include the work of paralegals and law clerks at market rates.

In the 1995 ruling (Missouri v.

Jenkins II), the Supreme Court reversed a district court's order requiring the state of Missouri to fund salary increases and remedial education programs to address intentional racial discrimination in Kansas City schools.

The Court found that the district court's orders went beyond the appropriate remedial measures to address the constitutional violation, exceeding the court's authority.

As part of the desegregation plan, the district court had ordered over $540 million in capital improvements to the Kansas City school district by 1990.

The Supreme Court's decision in Missouri v.

Jenkins II placed limits on the federal courts' remedial authority in school desegregation cases, shifting more responsibility to state and local governments.

The case highlighted the ongoing tension between federal judicial power and state sovereignty in addressing issues of racial discrimination and educational inequality.

Missouri v.

Jenkins II was a 5-4 decision, reflecting the ideological divide on the Supreme Court regarding the scope of federal courts' equitable powers.

The ruling in Missouri v.

Jenkins II was seen by some as a retreat from the Court's earlier landmark desegregation decisions, such as Brown v.

Board of Education.

The case raised questions about the effectiveness of court-ordered desegregation remedies and the role of the judiciary in addressing systemic educational inequalities.

The long-running litigation in Missouri v.

Jenkins underscored the challenges of achieving lasting desegregation and educational reform through the judicial system.

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