The initial ruling of Swann v. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Board of Education sided with the school board in 1964. With the help of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund, the Swann family and others resubmitted the case. Over the next few years, both sides meticulously argued their opinions as the public eagerly followed the appeals. Eventually, after hearing proposals from several parties on how best to desegregate Charlotte schools, Judge James B. McMillan ruled in 1969/70 in favor of a plan that required redistricting and busing pupils across the county.
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"I thought things in Charlotte were in good shape until I studied the evidence." - Judge James B. McMillan
