TRENTON, NJ — A years-long legal battle over racial and socioeconomic segregation in New Jersey public schools is drawing renewed attention, as the state moves to block an appeal from civil rights advocates and local families.
In a brief filed last week, attorneys for the state argued that it’s too soon for an appellate court to intervene in the case, originally brought in 2018 by the Latino Action Network and New Jersey NAACP. They allege that school boundaries tied to municipal lines have led to unconstitutional segregation in schools across the state, including districts in Middlesex, Essex, and Monmouth counties.
The state claims the trial judge has not issued a final ruling and that reviewing the case now would create a fragmented legal process. “There is no grave damage or injustice necessitating immediate appellate review,” the filing states.
Advocates point to stark disparities: Nearly half of Black and Latino students in New Jersey attend schools that are over 90% non-white—often just blocks from majority-white districts. A recent motion from the New Jersey Policy Institute supports expanding school choice as a near-term fix, arguing that unfreezing a capped program allowing students to cross district lines could boost integration without redistricting.
With over 2,000 students on program waitlists, local education advocates are calling on lawmakers to act. “The infrastructure is already there,” the Institute wrote. “All that’s left is to unfreeze it.”
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