JACKSON - The U.S. Supreme Court is expected to decide in the next month whether to hear an appeal in Mississippi's long-running college desegregation case.
The Supreme Court has the case up for review but has not set a date for it to be considered by justices in conference. At conference, the justices will decide whether to hear the case.
Alvin Chambliss Jr. of Oxford represents private plaintiffs who want to continue the lawsuit on their own and opt out of a proposed settlement reached in 2002.
Chambliss, who did not return phone calls from The Associated Press, has said he does not necessarily want more money than is provided in the $503 million settlement. What he does want is "an increase in opportunity for blacks - more access to college, more financial aid, more freedom for black colleges to develop their own programs separate from the board of trustees."
Chambliss says a better settlement can be negotiated.
Chambliss, who has represented plaintiffs in the case for more than 20 years, now represents Lillie Ayers, widow of the man who filed the lawsuit, along with professors and alumni. The plaintiffs say the settlement is far short of what the late Jake Ayers desired.
The case originated in 1975 when Ayers sued the state, accusing Mississippi of neglecting its black universities for decades. Plaintiffs successfully demanded more money be put into the historically black institutions to end discrimination. In 1992, the U.S. Supreme Court agreed and ordered remedies.
U.S. District Judge Neal Biggers Jr. signed the settlement of the case in February 2002, a month after the Mississippi Legislature pledged to fulfill its requirements.
Opponents want out of the settlement to seek remedies of their own. In January, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans denied the appeal.
Chambliss filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court. Final briefs were being filed this month.
The Supreme Court is on its summer hiatus. The justices ordinarily return to work in October.
The state College Board want lawmakers to release the money to the three historically black universities - Jackson State, Alcorn State and Mississippi Valley State.
However, the Legislature has been reluctant to free up the money until legal actions ends.
College Board spokeswoman Sarah Nicholas said attorneys have filed all the documents with the court.
"We have filed everything," she said. "We are hoping for a decision when they come back in October."
College Board officials have described the settlement as fair, adequate and reasonable.
The proposed settlement calls for $246 million to be spent over 17 years on academic programs at the three schools to attract white students. Another $75 million would go to capital improvement projects, $70 million to public endowments and up to $35 million in private endowments. Other programs will receive the balance.
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