Civil Rights Litigation

The 1776 Project Foundation, an offshoot of the 1776 Project PAC, has filed a federal lawsuit against the Los Angeles Unified School District challenging a decades‑old policy that gives schools with predominantly Hispanic, Black, Asian or other non‑white enrollment smaller class sizes and other benefits as a remedy for segregation. Filed Tuesday, the suit argues the policy violates Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause by allegedly denying white students equal access to advantages such as 25‑to‑1 student‑teacher ratios, extra points in magnet‑school admissions and more frequent parent‑teacher conferences. The complaint says more than 600 LAUSD schools qualify for the race‑based designation while fewer than 100 do not, and includes a parent‑plaintiff whose children attend a non‑designated school and who alleges they were denied magnet admission because of the policy. LAUSD declined to discuss specifics of the pending litigation but said it remains committed to giving all students meaningful access to services and enrichment. The case lands as Trump administration officials push to dismantle remaining Civil Rights‑era school desegregation orders, while civil‑rights advocates argue those orders—and policies like LAUSD’s—are still necessary to address entrenched racial disparities and ongoing segregation.