Harman Patil (Editor)

Dixon v. Alabama

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Decided
  
August 4 1961

End date
  
1961

Citation(s)
  
294 F.2d 150

Dixon v. Alabama

Full case name
  
St. John Dixon, et al. v. Alabama State Board of Education, et al.

Prior action(s)
  
Dixon v. Alabama, 186 F.Supp. 945 (M.D. Alabama 1960)

Majority
  
Rives, joined by Wisdom

Court
  
United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit

Similar
  
Goss v Lopez, Ingraham v Wright, Tinker v Des Moines In, Epperson v Arkansas, West Virginia State Boa

Dixon v. Alabama, 294 F. 2d 150 (5th Cir. 1961) was a landmark 1961 U.S. federal court decision that spelled the end of the doctrine that colleges and universities could act in loco parentis to discipline or expel their students. It has been called "the leading case on due process for students in public higher education".

The case arose when Alabama State College, a then-segregated black college, expelled six students, including the named appellant, St. John Dixon, for unspecified reasons, but presumably because of their participation in civil rights demonstrations. The college, acting in loco parentis, expelled them without a hearing. The case was appealed to the Fifth Circuit, which held that a public college could not expel students without at least minimal due process.

The case was heard by a panel of John Minor Wisdom, Richard Rives, and Benjamin Franklin Cameron. Cameron dissented from the opinion of the court.

Thurgood Marshall, Fred Gray, Derrick Bell and Jack Greenberg were among the counsel for the appellants.

References

Dixon v. Alabama Wikipedia


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