Louisiana Amendment 16, Racial Segregation in Public Schools Amendment (1954)

Louisiana Amendment 16
Election date November 2, 1954
Topic Public education governance and Race and ethnicity issues
Status Overturned
Type Legislatively referred constitutional amendment	Origin State legislature

Louisiana Amendment 16 was on the ballot as a legislatively referred constitutional amendment in Louisiana on November 2, 1954. The ballot measure was approved. However, a district court ruled that the amendment was invalid on February 15, 1956.

A "yes" vote supported amending the Louisiana Constitution to:  state that "All public elementary and secondary schools in the State of Louisiana shall be operated separately for white and colored children," justified under the state's police power; define the public school system as consisting of "all public schools and all institutions of learning operated by state agencies;" provide that the legislature can enact laws regarding terms and qualifications for public school admissions; and  authorize the legislature to submit amendments to Article XII, which addressed public education, at special elections, not just congressional elections.

A "no" vote opposed amending the Louisiana Constitution to state that "All public elementary and secondary schools in the State of Louisiana shall be operated separately for white and colored children," among other changes.

Election results

Louisiana Amendment 16
Result		Votes	Percentage
Yes		217,992	82.29%
No		46,929	17.71%

Results are officially certified.

Source

Overview

Voters approved Amendment 16, which was decided six months after the U.S. Supreme Court decided Brown v. Board of Education on May 17, 1954. The unanimous decision held that state laws providing for racial segregation in public schools were unconstitutional.

On February 15, 1956, in Bush v. Orleans Parish School Board, the U.S. District Court for Eastern Louisiana held that Amendment 16, along with associated statutes, was invalid under the U.S. Constitution. While the case was appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, the justices dismissed the case, allowing the district court's ruling to stand.

Text of measure

Ballot title

The ballot title for Amendment 16 was as follows:

“

FOR amending Sec. 1, Art. XII, Const., relative to the State public educational system, police power, and special elections for amending Art. XII. AGAINST amending Sec. 1, Art. XII, Const., relative to the State public educational system, police power and special elections for amending Art. XII.

”

Path to the ballot

See also: Amending the Louisiana Constitution

A two-thirds (66.67%) vote is required during one session of the Louisiana State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. In 1954, that amounted to a minimum of 68 votes in the Louisiana House of Representatives and 26 votes in the Louisiana State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments did not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

State Rep. E. W. Gravolet, Jr. (D) introduced the constitutional amendment into the Louisiana State Legislature as House Bill 1136 in 1954. According to the St. Mary and Franklin Banner-Tribune, the constitutional amendment received unanimous support from state legislators.

See also

1954 Measures

• 1954 Measures
• Race and ethnicity issues on the ballot
• Public education governance on the ballot
• 1954 legislative sessions

Louisiana

• Louisiana ballot measures
• Louisiana ballot measure laws

News and analysis

• Ballot measure lawsuits
• Ballot measure readability
• Ballot measure polls