Title 20EducationRelease 119-73

§1656 Prohibition against official or court orders to achieve racial balance or insure compliance with constitutional standards applicable to entire United States

Title 20 › Chapter CHAPTER 37— - ASSIGNMENT OR TRANSPORTATION OF STUDENTS › § 1656

Last updated Apr 6, 2026|Official source

Summary

No federal court or officer may order students to be moved between schools or school districts just to create a racial balance. They also may not expand their power to force schools to meet constitutional rules by doing that. This applies to every public school student, public school, school system, and school board as defined in title IV, at all times and in every State, district, territory, Commonwealth, or possession of the United States.

Full Legal Text

Title 20, §1656

Education — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

The proviso of section 407(a) of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 [42 U.S.C. 2000c–6(a)] providing in substance that no court or official of the United States shall be empowered to issue any order seeking to achieve a racial balance in any school by requiring the transportation of pupils or students from one school to another or one school district to another in order to achieve such racial balance, or otherwise enlarge the existing power of the court to insure compliance with constitutional standards shall apply to all public school pupils and to every public school system, public school and public school board, as defined by title IV [42 U.S.C. 2000c et seq.], under all circumstances and conditions and at all times in every State, district, territory, Commonwealth, or possession of the United States regardless of whether the residence of such public school pupils or the principal offices of such public school system, public school or public school board is situated in the northern, eastern, western, or southern part of the United States.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

References in Text

The Civil Rights Act of 1964, referred to in text, is Pub. L. 88–352, July 2, 1964, 78 Stat. 241. Title IV of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 is classified generally to subchapter IV (§ 2000c et seq.) of chapter 21 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see

Short Title

note set out under section 2000a of Title 42 and Tables.

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

20 U.S.C. § 1656

Title 20Education

Last Updated

Apr 6, 2026

Release point: 119-73