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American Jewish Congress Appeals to Supreme Court Against Barring Negroes from Law School

May 26, 1949
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The American Jewish Congress announced today that it has filed a brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review the Texas courts’ refusal to require the Texas State Law School to admit Negroes.

The action was started by Heman Sweatt who applied in 1946 for admission to the law school maintained by the State of Texas for white students only. Ultimately Texas offered Sweatt a legal education in a separate school for Negroes. Rejecting this proposal, Sweatt took his case to the Texas courts where he sought to prove that proposed Negro school was not and could not be equal to the long-established white school. The highest court of Texas denied his plea on Oct. 27, 1948.

Stressing the Importance of a review of that decision by the Supreme Court, the A.J.C.’s memorandum stated: “The issue here is not merely the admission of one man in-to one school but the admission of an entire people into a community.

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