Education: After 125 Years

When mild-mannered Gregory Swanson, a 24-year-old Negro attorney from Martinsville, Va., tried to register as a graduate student in the University of Virginia's law school, the university said no. Officials explained that the Virginia constitution forbids it, ignored the U.S. Supreme Court's decision that Negroes must be admitted to white colleges when there are no equal facilities for Negroes. Attorney Swanson went to court.

In Charlottesville last week, a three-judge federal court decided that since Swanson could not find law courses in the State's Negro college, Virginia must admit him. University officials...

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