The Supreme Court’s ruling restricted the powers of the federal judiciary in imposing new taxes on states in desegregation cases.

Justice Byron R. WhiteWhite, Byron R.;Missouri v. Jenkins[Missouri v. Jenkins] wrote the unanimous decision of the Supreme Court overturning a tax imposed on a Kansas City school district by the local federal district judge. As a part of a desegregation plan, the judge had ordered the construction of a luxurious magnet school costing half a million dollars that would have required a substantial increase in local taxes. The Court disallowed the plan on grounds of fairness without touching on constitutional issues by approving an indirect remedy to allow the district to raise the funds. Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, joined by Chief Justice William H. Rehnquist, Justices Sandra Day O’Connor and Antonin Scalia, concurred but maintained that federal judges should not impose taxes on states and localities directly or indirectly.DesegregationJudicial powers;Missouri v. Jenkins[Missouri v. Jenkins]Desegregation

Desegregation

Federalism

Judicial powers

Judicial review

School integration and busing

States’ rights and state sovereignty