What Is De Jure Segregation? Definition and Examples.
The separation of groups of people is called de jure segregation.The Jim Crow Laws of the U.S. southern states from the late 1800s into the 1960s are examples of de jure.De jure segregation has existed in other areas, such as gender and age, despite being associated with race.
De jure segregation can be imposed by government-enacted laws, regulations or accepted public policy.De jure segregation can be repealed by legislation or overturned by the superior courts in most constitutionally governed nations.
The Jim Crow Laws of the post-Civil War South were the most obvious example of de jure segregation in the United States.The Supreme Court ruled that all such laws prohibiting interracial marriage were unconstitutional.
The courts usually end cases of de jure segregation, but they have allowed them to continue.The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the states could not forbid women from voting.The prohibition of racial discrimination in inns, public transportation, and places of public assembly was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in the Civil Rights Cases of 1884.To make it apply to every act of discrimination a person may see fit to make, it would be running the slavery argument into the ground.
exclusionary zone is a form of de jure segregation used to prevent people of color from moving into middle and upper class neighborhoods.The city can limit the number of affordable housing units by banning multi- family dwellings or setting large minimum lot sizes.Lower-income groups are less likely to move in if the cost of housing is raised.
While de jure segregation is created and enforced by law, de facto segregation occurs as a matter of factual circumstances or personal choice.
The Civil Rights Act of 1968, which banned racial discrimination in the sale, rental, and financing of housing, did not deter White inner-city residents from moving to higher-priced suburbs.This form of segregation created separate white and Black neighborhoods.
In public schools, the difference between de jure and de facto segregation is obvious.The Civil Rights Act of 1964 banned de jure racial segregation of schools, but the fact that school population is often based on how far from the school students live still means that some schools are still segregating.An inner-city school may have a majority of Black students and a minority of other races.The school district has a large number of Black students because of the Black population.
De jure segregation is not limited to cases of racial discrimination.It is more common in areas such as gender and age.
In prisons, public restrooms, law enforcement and military settings, men and women are separated by law.Until recently, women were not allowed to serve in combat roles in the U.S. military, and men and women are still housed separately.Only young men are required to register for the draft.A federal judge in Texas ruled that the male-only draft restriction was unconstitutional on February 25, 2019.The Supreme Court was expected to hear the government's appeal.