McNeese v. Board of Ed. for Community Unit School Dist. 187 (1962)
- Docket
- 480
- Decided
- 1962-01-01
- Category
- General
Summary
Question: Did the district court err in dismissing the case because petitioners did not exhaust state remedies before filing suit? Conclusion: Yes. Justice William O. Douglas, writing for an 8-1 majority, reversed the Seventh Circuit. The Supreme Court held that exhausting state remedies was not a prerequisite to bringing a suit under the Civil Rights Act. It was also unclear that the Illinois law provided an adequate administrative remedy to preclude a suit in federal court. Justice John M. Harlan dissented, arguing that the Illinois law provided an adequate remedy.