Civil rights groups sue New Jersey to desegregate schools

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — A lawsuit filed by a civil rights coalition claims racial segregation in New Jersey schools persists more than six decades after the Supreme Court ruled the practice unconstitutional.

The Latino Action Network, the New Jersey chapter of the NAACP and others unveiled their lawsuit against the state Thursday. It was announced on the 64th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education ruling that struck down separate-but-equal schools.

The lawsuit cites a UCLA civil rights report and contends New Jersey has one of “the most segregated public school systems in the country.”

The plaintiffs say about two-thirds of black students attend schools that are 80 percent or more nonwhite.

A New Jersey governor spokesman said he can’t comment on pending litigation but said “the governor is deeply committed to boosting diversity in our schools.”