ABSTRACT
A higher education desegregation case in Mississippi that originated in 1975, as a classic example of the limitations of what can feasibly be accomplished within the confines of the legal process. Ayers provides an excellent case study because it is one of the most significant successor cases that have spawned from the momentous triumph of Brown—the very case that seems to vindicate loudly the efficacy of litigation to promote the cause of social change. A ruling in their favor would grant the opponents legal standing to intervene in the case and would either force the settlement to be renegotiated or precipitate additional litigation. Mr. Alvin Chambliss and his group have decided to appeal the Ayers settlement to the Supreme Court. This decision to follow the legal strategy to its logical conclusion raises serious questions about the limits of using litigation to solve political problems—particularly as it involves remedying the effects of racial discrimination against African Americans.
