The Honorable Gary S. Stein (Ret.) Quoted in NJ.com regarding Statewide Segregation in New Jersey Public Schools
The Honorable Gary S. Stein (Ret.), special counsel at Pashman Stein Walder Hayden P.C., was quoted in a Nj.com column, “Murphy’s cowardice on racial justice in schools.” The article discusses Governor Phil Murphy’s lack of action to address the issue of segregated schools in New Jersey, as well as a recent ruling by Judge Robert Lougy in a lawsuit initially filed in 2018 on behalf of plaintiffs Latino Action Network, the NAACP New Jersey State Conference, Latino Coalition, the Urban League of Essex County, the United Methodist Church of Greater New Jersey and nine students. Pashman Stein and co-counsel Gibbons P.C. represent the plaintiffs in the case. Fifteen months after oral arguments were heard, Judge Lougy issued a ruling, agreeing with part of the plaintiffs’ contention: that school segregation exists and it is the state’s constitutional duty to fix it, but did not find that the case was appropriate for summary judgment. The column notes:
The opinion, from Superior Court Judge Robert Lougy, is a muddled mess. It concedes the statistics cited above, citing the “marked and persistent racial imbalance in numerous school districts” that the state has “failed to remedy.” But it orders no remedy.
That is baffling to many civil rights advocates, including former Supreme Court Justice Gary Stein, who is advising plaintiffs in this case, and sat on the bench for many of the Abbott cases.
“Having found intensive segregation in 23 urban districts, the court granted no relief for that segregation, or for the children being prejudiced by it,” he says. “It seems to me that having made the finding that segregation exists, it would be appropriate to grant relief. That’s what troubles me. It was a great disappointment.”
To read the full article, click here.
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