Petitioners' Opening Brief in Mendez v. Westminster
09/20/1945
Add to Favorites:
Add all page(s) of this document to activity:
Add only page 1 to activity:
Add only page 2 to activity:
Add only page 3 to activity:
Add only page 4 to activity:
Add only page 5 to activity:
Add only page 6 to activity:
Add only page 7 to activity:
Add only page 8 to activity:
Add only page 9 to activity:
Add only page 10 to activity:
Add only page 11 to activity:
Add only page 12 to activity:
Add only page 13 to activity:
Add only page 14 to activity:
Add only page 15 to activity:
Add only page 16 to activity:
Add only page 17 to activity:
Add only page 18 to activity:
Add only page 19 to activity:
Add only page 20 to activity:
This Brief presents the petitioners' (the parents) detailed legal arguments against the use of segregation by several Orange County, California, school districts. It comes from the court case Mendez v. Westminster School District.
In the Fall of 1944, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez had tried to enroll their children in the Main Street School in Orange County. However, the school district had drawn boundary lines that excluded Mexican neighborhoods. The Mendez children were assigned to Hoover Elementary School, which was established for Mexican children.
Other Orange County Latino parents faced similar situations with their children. With the help of the United Latin American Citizens (LUCAC), they joined with the Mendez family and sued four local school districts – Westminster, Garden Grove, and El Modeno School Districts and the City of Santa Ana – for segregating their children and 5,000 others. Their petition summarized their complaint, charging that the schools were violating students' civil rights by segregating them in separate schools.
Ultimately, U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. McCormick concurred with the petitioners, issuing an injunction against the school districts' segregation policies. He stated that there was no justification in the laws of California to segregate Mexican children and that doing so was a "clear denial of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment."
The school districts filed an appeal, partly on the basis of a states' rights strategy. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court upheld the District Court ruling in 1947, and the Orange County school districts dropped the case.
In the Fall of 1944, Gonzalo and Felicitas Mendez had tried to enroll their children in the Main Street School in Orange County. However, the school district had drawn boundary lines that excluded Mexican neighborhoods. The Mendez children were assigned to Hoover Elementary School, which was established for Mexican children.
Other Orange County Latino parents faced similar situations with their children. With the help of the United Latin American Citizens (LUCAC), they joined with the Mendez family and sued four local school districts – Westminster, Garden Grove, and El Modeno School Districts and the City of Santa Ana – for segregating their children and 5,000 others. Their petition summarized their complaint, charging that the schools were violating students' civil rights by segregating them in separate schools.
Ultimately, U.S. District Court Judge Paul J. McCormick concurred with the petitioners, issuing an injunction against the school districts' segregation policies. He stated that there was no justification in the laws of California to segregate Mexican children and that doing so was a "clear denial of the equal protection clause of the 14th Amendment."
The school districts filed an appeal, partly on the basis of a states' rights strategy. The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court upheld the District Court ruling in 1947, and the Orange County school districts dropped the case.
The first 20 pages are shown. See the entire document in the National Archives catalog.
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 294942
Full Citation: Petitioners' Opening Brief; 09/20/1945; Civil Case File 4292; Gonzalo Mendez et al v. Westminster School District of Orange County et al, 3/2/1945 - 7/18/1947; Civil Case Files, 1938 - 1995; Records of District Courts of the United States, Record Group 21; National Archives at Riverside, Perris, CA. [Online Version, https://www.docsteach.org/documents/document/petitioners-opening-brief, March 28, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.